Financial Analyst CFA Study Notes: Economics Level 1
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Transcript of Financial Analyst CFA Study Notes: Economics Level 1
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Economics CFA Level 1
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Required CFA Institute® disclaimer: "CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA
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disclosure for these materials: "Copyrights, 2009-2011, CFA Institute. Reproduced and republished from 2009-
2011 Learning Outcome Statements, Level 1, 2, and 3 questions from CFA® Program Materials, CFA Institute Standards of Professional Conduct, and CFA Institute's Global Investment Performance Standards. All Rights
Reserved."
Disclaimer: The Financial Analyst Study Notes for the CFA Exam should be used in conjunction with the
original readings as set forth by CFA Institute in their CFA Study Guide for the appropriate level. The
information contained in these Notes covers topics contained in the readings referenced by CFA Institute and is
believed to be accurate. However, their accuracy cannot be guaranteed nor is any warranty conveyed as to your
ultimate exam success. The authors of the referenced readings and CFA Institute have not endorsed or
sponsored these Notes.
Please do not copy
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You are serious about passing this exam, and this effective learning tool will help you prepare
for it more effectively by identifying your weak points in the study material.
This is your personal copy, please do not share or distribute it. If you have obtained a copy of
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The Financial Analyst Study Notes were prepared based on the CFA Learning Objectives (LOs)
for the CFA exam 2009/10. The curriculum may have been updated since, but the concepts
covered in this guide are universal, so they will remain valid for years to come for anyone
preparing for the CFA exam. This guide serves as your personal study preparation guide. It
should not be used as a stand-alone exam preparation, and should only be used as a complement
to the original CFA learning material.
We hope you enjoy the Financial Analyst Study Notes and wish you all the best for the CFA
exam!
Sincerely,
Financial Analyst Team
http://www.financialanalystexam.com
4
Calculate and interpret the elasticities of demand (price
elasticity, cross elasticity, income elasticity).
______
The price elasticity of demand measures the change in the quantity demanded in response to a
change in market price (i.e., a movement along a demand curve). The formula is: price elasticity
of demand = percent change in quantity demanded / percent change in price
The cross elasticity of demand measures the change in the demand for a good in response to the
change in price of a substitute or complementary good. The formula is: cross elasticity of
demand = percent change in quantity demanded / percent change in price of substitute or
complement
The income elasticity of demand measures the sensitivity of the quantity of a good or service
demanded to a change in a consumer’s income. The formula is:
income elasticity of demand = percent change in quantity demanded / percent change in
income
Calculate and interpret the elasticity of supply.
______
The price elasticity of supply is similar to the price elasticity of demand. It is a measure of the
responsiveness of the quantity supplied to changes in price. The formula is:
Price elasticity of supply = percent change in quantity supplied / percent change in price
Discuss the factors that influence the elasticity of demand, 3
______
Factors that influence the elasticity of demand include:
1. Availability of substitutes: If good substitutes are available, a price increase in one
product will induce consumers to switch to a substitute good.
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2. Relative amount of income spent on the good: When the portion of consumer budgets
spent on a particular good is relatively small, demand for that good will tend to be
relatively inelastic.
3. Time since the price change: The price elasticity of demand for most products is greater
in the long run than in the short run.
When the portion of consumer budgets spent on a particular
good is relatively small, demand for that good will tend to be
...
______
relatively inelastic, as the consumer is rather indifferent about a price change.
Discuss the factors that influence the elasticity of supply, 2
(one has 3 sub).
______
1. Available resource substitutions: When a good or service can only be produced using
unique or rare inputs, the elasticity of supply will be low.
2. Supply decision time frame: Three time-dependent supply curves must be considered
when evaluating how the length of time following a price change affects the elasticity of
supply:
o Momentary supply refers to the change in the quantity of a good supplied
immediately following the price change. When producers cannot change the
output of a good immediately, the momentary supply curve is vertical or nearly
vertical, and the good is highly inelastic.
o Short-term supply refers to the shape a supply curve takes on as the sequence of
long-term adjustments are made to the production process.
o Long-term supply refers to the shape of the supply curve after all of the possible
ways of adjusting supply have been employed.
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Describe elasticities on a straight-line demand curve,
differentiate among elastic, inelastic, and unit elastic
demand, and describe the relation between price elasticity of
demand and total revenue.
______
Along a linear (straight line) demand curve, demand is more elastic at higher prices, less
elastic at lower prices.
Total revenue is maximized in equilibrium, at the price and quantity where demand is unit
elastic (price elasticity = –1) and so decreases with both price increases or price decreases from
that level.
When price is in the elastic (inelastic) region of the demand curve, a price increase will
decrease (increase) total revenue.
Demand is more elastic at [higher/lower] prices.
______
Demand is more elastic at higher prices, demand is less elastic at lower prices.
Unit elasticity exists when price elasticity of demand = ...
______
price elasticity = –1
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Explain the various means of markets to allocate resources
efficiently (7), marginal benefit and marginal cost, and
demonstrate why the efficient quantity occurs where ...
______
Resources can be allocated by markets or by other means including a command system,
majority rule, contests, first-come-first-served, lotteries, personal characteristics, or force.
Marginal benefit is the benefit derived from consuming one additional unit of a good or service.
Marginal cost is the cost of producing one more unit of a good or service. It is considered an
opportunity cost because it represents the value of the goods the productive resources used could
produce in their next-highest-valued use.
Resources are efficiently allocated when each good or service is produced in a quantity for
which the benefit to society of the last unit produced (marginal benefit) just equals the costs
to society of producing that unit (marginal cost).
Distinguish between the price and the value of a product and
explain the demand curve and consumer surplus.
______
Consumer surplus is the difference between the total value consumers place on the quantity of a
good produced and the total amount they must pay for that quantity.
For an individual, consumer surplus is defined as the sum of the differences between what that
individual is willing to pay for each individual unit of a good or service that he or she
consumes and the amount that she actually pays for each of these units.
The demand curve for a good or service is the sum of all consumers’ downward sloping
marginal benefit curves. Demand curve = marginal benefit curve.
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Distinguish between the cost and the price of a product and
explain the supply curve and producer surplus.
______
Producer surplus is the difference between the total cost of producing output and the total
amount producers receive for it.
The supply curve for a good or service is the sum of all producers’ upward sloping marginal
cost curves and represents quantity that will be willingly produced and sold at different prices.
The complete Study Notes cover the following topics for CFA Level 1 in ten volumes (450 pages):
Alternative Investments (17 pages)
Corporate Finance (28 pages)
Derivatives (30 pages)
Economics (73 pages)
Equities (14 pages)
Financial Statement Analysis (104 pages)
Fixed Income (55 pages)
Markets (16 pages)
Portfolio Management (15 pages)
Quantitative Concepts (105 pages)
The entire collection of all volumes contains over 750 questions and answers about the CFA Level 1 curriculum. The Financial Analyst Study Notes are available for download immediately after verification of your purchase (pdf format, approx. 15 MB).
Ready for the next step? Prepare with the full CFA Study Notes!
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http://www.financialanalystexam.com