IB Math Question - What is 12x12x12?

good job

144223 also works, or 333=27444 (274=108 so it's pretty easy), though I am also a fan of the 14410+144*2 approach

"IvyBull"

Interview Question I had: Why do bond yields rise when the fed hikes interest rates? Would fed rising interest rates (leading to bonds being favorable) not lead to an increase in demand in bonds causing bond prices to rise. Bond Prices rising should then lower yields no? But everywhere says increasing fed rates leads to higher yields

The yields that rise are those for the already issued bonds, these bonds will not have their coupons changed based on what the FED does (unless their coupons are based on a floating-rate - in that case their price will not change, as long as this floating-rate is correlated to the FED rate which is usually the case) and thus the price decreases to "match" the newly issued bonds after the change.

Yields rise because prices go down. Coupon rate is based on the risk premium + fed. If fed goes up, coupon needs to reflect that new rate, so bond value decreases to have the coupon reflect a higher percentage.

EX: coupon $5 at 100 = 5% Rates rise, bond now has an expected return of 10% (astronomical rate hike, but easy example) $5 coupon at expected return 10%, new mkt price is $50.

"IvyBull"

Interview Question I had: Why do bond yields rise when the fed hikes interest rates? Would fed rising interest rates (leading to bonds being favorable) not lead to an increase in demand in bonds causing bond prices to rise. Bond Prices rising should then lower yields no? But everywhere says increasing fed rates leads to higher yields

Current yield is coupon divided by price of the bond.

Coupon .............................. Price

If the Fed raises rise, price goes down because the present value of all your future cash flows, both coupons and par at maturity, is lower because your discount rate is now higher.

Coupon = Same ............................................ Price = Down (future cash flows worth less)

Same numerator, lower denominator gets you bigger current yield. It makes sense too in that to sell the bond, a buyer would demand a lower price/higher yield to compensate for the market shift.

YTM and other yield metrics (yield to call, worst, etc) are affected similarly.