Question

You are a U.S. investor who purchased British securities for 2,340 pounds one year ago when the British pound cost $1.52. No dividends were paid on the British securities in the past year. Your total return based on U.S. dollars was __________ if the value of the securities is now 2,440 pounds and the pound is worth $1.61.

Answer 1

The total return for the U.S. investor in U.S. dollars is a profit of $371.60, calculated by assessing the change in the value of British securities from 2,340 to 2,440 pounds and considering the exchange rate shift from $1.52 to $1.61 per pound.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the total return for a U.S. investor based on the change in the value of British securities and exchange rates. The investor originally purchased British securities for 2,340 pounds at an exchange rate of $1.52 per pound. One year later, the securities are worth 2,440 pounds, and the exchange rate is $1.61 per pound. The initial U.S. dollar investment would have been 2,340 pounds × $1.52 = $3,556.80. The value of the securities in U.S. dollars after one year is now 2,440 pounds × $1.61 = $3,928.40.

This results in a profit of $3,928.40 - $3,556.80 = $371.60, which represents the investor's total return based on U.S. dollars.

Answer 2

Total Return = 10.45%

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the return, we must first determine the appreciation in the value of the securities in terms of the US dollar.

The initial investment in terms of US dollar was of,

Initial Investment in USD = Investment in Pounds * Exchange rate

Initial Investment in USD = 2340 * 1.52

Initial Investment in USD = $3556.8

The current value of the investment in terms of USD is,

Current value of investment in USD = 2440 * 1.61

Current value of investment in USD = $3928.4

The formula to calculate total return is,

Total Return = (Current Value - Initial Value) / Initial Value

So, the total return based on US dollars was:

Total return = (3928.4 - 3556.8) / 3556.8

Total Return = 0.10447 or 10.447% rounded off to 10.45%