Free 2016-FRR GARP Updates

Value at Risk (VaR) at a 95% confidence level means that there is a 95% chance that the bank's losses will not exceed USD 10 million in a year. Conversely, this implies that there is a 5% chance that the bank's losses will exceed USD 10 million in a year.

Under Basel II, Tier 2 capital, also known as supplementary capital, includes:

Subordinated Debt: This type of debt ranks below other debts with respect to claims on assets or earnings. It is considered Tier 2 capital because it can absorb losses in the event of a winding-up of the bank.

Other Instruments: This category can also include hybrid instruments, undisclosed reserves, revaluation reserves, and general provisions/general loan-loss reserves.

These components enhance the bank's ability to absorb losses beyond the protection provided by Tier 1 capital.

Commercial banking can be viewed as a fixed-income carry trade because banks typically engage in maturity transformation, where they borrow short-term and lend long-term.

Short-term floating-rate deposits:

Banks often attract deposits with short-term maturities and floating interest rates.

These deposits are generally considered stable and low-cost sources of funds.

Long-term fixed-rate loans:

Banks use these short-term deposits to fund long-term loans, such as mortgages or business loans, which typically have fixed interest rates.

This creates a mismatch between the interest rates and maturities of assets and liabilities.

Carry trade analogy:

The bank earns the spread between the interest it pays on short-term deposits and the interest it earns on long-term loans.

This process is similar to a carry trade, where profits are derived from the difference between borrowing costs and investment returns.

Thus, commercial banking inherently involves aspects of a carry trade through the practice of borrowing short-term to lend long-term.

References

Source: How Finance Works​

Covariance is a measure of the degree to which two variables move together. It is calculated as the average product of the deviations of each pair of observations from their respective means. If the covariance is positive, the variables tend to move in the same direction. If it is negative, they move in opposite directions.