SIE EXAM ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES INCLUDING CHARACTERISTICS OF CREDIT SPREADS BETWEEN SHORT TERM VERSUS LONG TERM BONDS

One thing about the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam, it asks questions about debt securities, specifically about Treasury bills, notes and bonds. Some SIE candidates study only stocks, but that overlooks the importance of becoming familiar with bonds on the SIE exam.

How do I know this about the SIE Exam? I know this from FINRA's Content Outline for the SIE Exam. Section 2.1.2 indicates that test candidates should know how debt securities operate, and in particular, a candidate must be able to explain credit spreads and compare characteristics of short-term bonds and long-term bonds.

Bob Eder in his Study for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam presents a full treatment of Treasury securities including coverage of credit spreads. Here is a sample of Bob Eder's treatment:

Bond Credit Spreads                                                                             (2.1.2)

Bond traders and market analysts consider various bond credit spreads to be indicative of various market moves. A credit spread means the difference in yield between, for example, the two-year Treasury note and the 10-year Treasury bond (or note). Historically, there is an average spread that forms the basis of whether the current spread is too wide or too narrow. The market normally shows a normal yield curve, where yields of long-term bonds are higher than yields on short-term bonds. If the average spread in a normal yield curve, comparing the yield of the two-year note to that of the 10-year bond, is 150 basis points, any spread below that is narrow, and any spread above that is relatively wide.

Here is the link to FINRA's Content Outline for the SIE Exam. See the references to Credit Spreads in Section 2.1.2. 

Study for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle e-book versions. Here is the link to Bob Eder's book on Amazon.

For questions about Bob Eder's Study for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam, or questions in general about the SIE Exam, or about Credit Spreads, feel free to email Bob Eder at bobeder@bobeder.net.

Bob Eder received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Utah, Quinney College of Law, in 2001. See Bob Eder's Author Page on Amazon.com.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SIE EXAM INCLUDES QUESTIONS ON DEPOSITORY CLEARING CORPORATIONS, SO BE PREPARED!

Planning to take the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam soon? Be prepared for questions asking about depository clearing corporations. Can you say in one sentence the purpose and function of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTC)? No response? Then you are like most SIE candidates, so don't feel too bad! Bob Eder's Study for the SIE Exam covers the definition and functions of the DTC, as well as the Options Clearing Corporation and ACATS. Here is a section from Bob Eder's book taken from page 12: Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. (DTCC) (1.1.4)  "The Depository Trust provides clearing and transfer services to the brokerage industry in the U.S. and throughout the world. With volume of securities trades approaching millions on a daily basis, imagine brokerage operations without a centralized entity that could match buys with sells, and keep brokerage firm back offices running smoothly and efficiently. What chaos without an organization like the
Read more

TAKING THE SIE EXAM? DID YOU KNOW THAT THE LARGEST SECTION OF THE TEST IS SECTION 2 PRODUCTS AND THEIR RISKS?

Have you looked at FINRA's SIE Exam Content Outline or Test Specifications? You would find that the largest percentage of questions on the SIE Exam comes from Section 2, Understanding Products and Their Risks . Forty-four percent of the questions on your test will come from this Section. For example, Section 2 covers Equity Securities, including knowledge of voting rights, convertible securities, and selling control or restricted stock. Bob Eder in his Study for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam has detailed coverage of these items. Here is a sample of Bob Eder's treatment: Control Stock (2.1.1) Control stock denotes shares that have been purchased by a control person or by an affiliated person. When a person owns shares in a company in which he/she is an officer, controlling person, termed an "affiliated person," there are also restrictions on the sale of that stock. The SEC calls the shares, "control shares." Only control or affiliated perso
Read more

SEC CHARGES 10 BROKER/DEALERS/INVESTMENT ADVISERS WITH FAILURE TO KEEP RECORDS OF "OFF-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS" WITH CLIENTS

FINRA makes available a Content Outline for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam for those planning to sit for the exam. This Content Outline describes the subject matter of the SIE Exam. The SIE Content Outline includes Section 3.2.4 which covers Books and Records Regulations, and it encompasses the use of social media to communicate with clients, digital messaging, and internet communications. From time to time, the SEC issues press releases about penalties and charges brought against broker/dealers and advisers. Here is a recent one that imposes penalties on 10 firms for inadequate Record-Keeping of electronic communications, called "Off-Channel Communications." We include the SEC Release here because it demonstrates that a broker or adviser must treat the rules as having real life consequences, potentially bringing serious penalties and large fines for non-observance. Students who plan on sitting for the SIE Exam should pay careful attention to the SEC Release as
Read more