December 5th, 2006, 9:33 am
Suppose currently the 3-month USD Libor is 4%, the 5-year swap rate is 5%, the 3-month EURIBOR is 3%, and the 5-year swap rate is 6%. The forward exchange rates between USD and Euro up to five years are the same as the spot exchange rate. In a 5-year differential swap in which counterparties exchange 3-month USD Libor plus a margin and 3-month EURIBOR flat, both paid in USD, the margin should be:(a) positive (b) zero (c) negativeMy Prof. said the correct answer is (a) positive (definite and only this answer is correct!), is it possible that the margin is negative (USD Libor - x.xx%)?