DCM interview coming up

Interviewed for a DCM SA role earlier this year. Here are the key questions/topics I got and prepped for:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why this firm?
• Why DCM / Capital Markets?
• A deal this firm has recently worked on
• What monetary policy tools can the Fed use, and how do they affect the market?
• What macroeconomic factors influence Fed decisions?
• Your opinion on what’s next for the Fed and interest rates
• Yield curve — explain what it means when it’s:
 – Upward sloping
 – Downward sloping (inverted)
 – Flat
• Where do you think the market will be in 3 / 6 / 12 months?
• Current rate percentages on the 2,5,10 year note
• Opinion on the 10-year Treasury yield and current rate environment
• How higher/lower rates impact issuance activity (corporates vs. financials)
• The current DCM environment — primary vs. secondary market trends
• Example of a company you think might tap the bond market soon and why
• How DCM interacts with other coverage and product groups

They also threw in some market-based situational questions like how I’d advise a client considering fixed vs. floating issuance given the current rate outlook.

Best of luck — you got this!