Question #3 Multiple Choice
Which of the following is described as the amount by which the value of a country's exports exceeds the cost of its imports? -tariff
-tax excess
-quota
-trade surplus

Uestion 7 you hold a portfolio consisting of a $5,000 investment in each of 20 different stocks. the portfolio beta is equal to 1.12. you have decided to sell a coal mining stock (b = 1.00) at $5,000 net and use the proceeds to buy a like amount of a mineral rights company stock (b = 2.00). what is the new beta of the portfolio?

Amachine purchased three years ago for $720,000 has a current book value using straight-line depreciation of $400,000: its operating expenses are $60,000 per year. a replacement machine would cost $480,000, have a useful life of nine years, and would require $26,000 per year in operating expenses. it has an expected salvage value of $130,000 after nine years. the current disposal value of the old machine is $170,000: if it is kept 9 more years, its residual value would be $20,000. calculate the total costs in keeping the old machine and purchase a new machine. should the old machine be replaced?

You are chairman of the board of a successful technology firm. there is a nominal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent, yet the effective tax rate of the typical corporation is about 12.6%. your firm has been clever with use of transfer pricing and keeping money abroad and has barely paid any taxes over the last 5 years; during this same time period, profits were $28 billion. one member of the board feels that it is un-american to use various accounting strategies in order to avoid paying taxes. others feel that these are legal loopholes and corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize taxes. one board member quoted what the ceo of exxon once said: “i’m not a u.s. company and i don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the u.s.” what are the alternatives? what are your recommendations? why do you recommend this course of action?