2500+ Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Capital market, money markets, money market instruments, derivatives and types of derivatives explained.

• Capital market refers to the market for long-term securities such as stocks and bonds.

• Money market refers to the market for short-term securities such as treasury bills and commercial paper.

• Money market instruments are short-term debt securities with high liquidity and low risk.

• Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from an underlying asset or security...read more

Assessing business risk involves evaluating various parameters.

• Financial stability and performance

• Market competition and trends

• Regulatory compliance and legal issues

• Management team and corporate governance

• Industry and macroeconomic factors

• Brand reputation and customer satisfaction

• Supply chain and operational risks

Correlation is a statistical measure that shows the relationship between two variables.

• Correlation ranges from -1 to 1, where -1 indicates a negative correlation, 0 indicates no correlation, and 1 indicates a positive correlation.

• Correlation does not imply causation.

• Correlation can be calculated using various methods such as Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and Kendall's tau correlation coefficient.

• Infer relationship using correlation ...read more

A dormant account is an account that has had no activity for a long period of time. Investment banking involves providing financial services to clients.

• A dormant account is an account that has not been used for a certain period of time, usually 12 months or more.

• Investment banking involves providing financial services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, and securities trading to clients.

• Dormant accounts can be subject to fees or penalties if not used or closed.

• Inv...read more

A batsman can score a maximum of 264 runs in an ODI.

• The maximum number of runs a batsman can score in an ODI is limited by the number of balls bowled and the number of boundaries hit.

• The maximum number of balls bowled in an ODI is 300, assuming no extras are bowled.

• If a batsman hits a boundary off every ball they face, they can score a maximum of 240 runs.

• If a batsman hits sixes off every ball they face, they can score a maximum of 360 runs, but this is highly unlikely.

• The cu...read more

Gold prices are increasing due to economic uncertainty and inflation concerns. US treasury bonds remain valuable due to their safe-haven status and reliable returns.

• Gold prices are increasing due to economic uncertainty and inflation concerns.

• Investors often turn to gold as a safe-haven asset during times of market volatility.

• The demand for gold is also influenced by factors such as geopolitical tensions and central bank policies.

• US treasury bonds are still valuable because t...read more

VLOOKUP has limitations such as only searching for values in the leftmost column and being case-sensitive.

• VLOOKUP only searches for values in the leftmost column of a table

• It is case-sensitive, so if the lookup value has a different case than the table, it won't find a match

• It can only return one value, so if there are multiple matches, it will only return the first one

• It can be slow and resource-intensive for large datasets

The pseudocode will result in a compilation error due to incorrect printf format specifier.

• The printf function has two format specifiers but only one argument is provided.

• The first format specifier '%0' is incorrect and will result in a compilation error.

• The correct format specifier for printing an integer in hexadecimal format is '%x'.

My favorite programming language is Python.

• Python is easy to learn and has a simple syntax.

• It has a vast library of modules and frameworks for various purposes.

• Python is widely used in data science and machine learning.

• It is also great for web development, automation, and scripting.

• Some popular companies that use Python include Google, Facebook, and Netflix.

Accounting entries for purchase and sale of a depreciating asset

• Purchase: Debit the asset account and credit the cash/bank account

• Purchase: Debit the depreciation expense account and credit the accumulated depreciation account

• Sale: Debit the cash/bank account and credit the asset account

• Sale: Debit the accumulated depreciation account, debit the gain/credit the loss on sale account, and credit the asset account

Optimized way to find the heaviest ball amongst 8 balls puzzle and SQL queries

• Use binary search approach to divide the balls into groups and weigh them

• Repeat the process with the heavier group until the heaviest ball is found

• For SQL queries, use appropriate syntax for each operation and join tables based on common columns

• Example SQL queries: INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3) VALUES (value1, value2, value3), SELECT column1, column2 FROM table_name WHERE condit...read more

Assign tasks based on past performance by analyzing employee's strengths and weaknesses.

• Analyze employee's past performance data

• Identify their strengths and weaknesses

• Assign tasks that align with their strengths

• Provide training or support for areas of weakness

• Regularly review and adjust task assignments based on performance

• Consider employee preferences and career goals

The exact number of airplanes flying in the Indian sky at the moment is not available.

• The number of airplanes flying in the Indian sky changes constantly.

• It depends on factors such as time of day, weather conditions, and airline schedules.

• However, on average, there are around 2,000 flights in the Indian airspace at any given time.

• This number includes both domestic and international flights.

• The Indian aviation industry has been growing rapidly in recent years, with more and mo...read more

I would remain calm, seek clarification, and focus on constructive feedback to improve my performance and maintain professionalism.

• Stay calm: Instead of reacting emotionally, take a deep breath and maintain composure.

• Seek clarification: Politely ask for specific feedback on what went wrong to understand the issue better.

• Focus on solutions: Shift the conversation towards how to rectify the mistake and prevent it in the future.

• Maintain professionalism: Respond respectfully, reg...read more

The most used Google product is Google Drive.

• Google Drive is a cloud storage service that allows users to store and share files.

• It offers free storage up to 15GB and paid plans for more storage.

• It also includes Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for creating and collaborating on documents.

• Google Drive can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices.

• It is a convenient and reliable tool for personal and professional use.

The actual rate of return is more than 10% due to the bond being issued at a discount. The method used for its calculation is Yield to Maturity (YTM).

• Bond issued at discount means the actual rate of return is higher than the fixed rate.

• Yield to Maturity (YTM) is used to calculate the actual rate of return on a bond.

• YTM takes into account the bond's current market price, par value, coupon payments, and time to maturity.

To change the ratio of milk and water from 3:2 to 2:3, water needs to be added to the mixture.

• Calculate the current quantities of milk and water in the mixture based on the given ratio.

• Determine the total quantity of the mixture before adding water.

• Set up an equation to find the amount of water needed to achieve the desired ratio.

• Solve the equation to find the amount of water to be added.

ArrayList and Vector are both dynamic arrays, but Vector is synchronized and slower. Traversing a Vector is similar to an ArrayList.

• ArrayList is not synchronized, while Vector is synchronized.

• ArrayList is faster than Vector, but Vector is thread-safe.

• To traverse a Vector, we can use a for loop or an iterator, similar to an ArrayList.

• Example: Vector v = new Vector<>(); for(String s : v) { //do something }

Algorithm for Snake and Ladders game

• Create a board with 100 squares

• Assign snakes and ladders to specific squares

• Roll a dice to move player's token on the board

• Check if the new position is a snake or ladder

• Repeat until a player reaches the final square

Analyzing a company's financial statements involves examining its income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to evaluate its financial health.

• Start by examining the income statement to understand the company's revenue, expenses, and profitability.

• Next, review the balance sheet to assess the company's assets, liabilities, and equity.

• Finally, analyze the cash flow statement to evaluate the company's cash inflows and outflows.

• Look for trends and patterns in the fin...read more

To deny access to a user in Linux, you can use the 'usermod' command to lock the account. To check how many users are logged in, you can use the 'who' command.

• To deny access to a user, use 'usermod -L username' to lock the account

• To check how many users are logged in, use the 'who' command

• You can also use the 'w' command to see who is logged in and what they are doing

Optimize iterations by using strategies like pruning, memoization, and leveraging data structures for efficiency.

• Use pruning techniques to eliminate unnecessary paths early, e.g., in search algorithms.

• Implement memoization to store results of expensive function calls, reducing repeated calculations.

• Leverage efficient data structures like hash tables for quick lookups, e.g., using a set to track seen elements.

Using only 3,3,8,8 and +,-,*,/ operators, make 24.

• There are multiple ways to solve this puzzle.

• One possible solution is: 8 / (3 - 8/3) = 24

• Another solution is: (8 * 3) - (8 / 3) = 24

• Remember to follow the order of operations (PEMDAS).

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle. It is a process followed by software development teams to design, develop and test high-quality software.

• The phases of SDLC are Planning, Analysis, Design, Development, Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance.

• Planning involves defining the project scope, goals, and objectives.

• Analysis involves gathering and analyzing requirements.

• Design involves creating a detailed design of the software.

• Development involves coding and building th...read more

C language is important for its efficiency and low-level programming capabilities, with real-time applications in embedded systems and operating systems.

• C is a low-level language that allows for direct memory manipulation and efficient code execution.

• Real-time applications include embedded systems like microcontrollers and operating systems like Unix.

• C is also used in game development, system programming, and scientific computing.

• C's popularity has led to the creation of many...read more

Acknowledge the mistake, apologize, offer a solution, and take steps to prevent future errors.

• Acknowledge the mistake and apologize sincerely to the client

• Offer a solution or rectification for the mistake made

• Take steps to prevent similar errors in the future by double-checking emails before sending

• Communicate openly and transparently with the client to maintain trust and credibility

Some games lack a Nash equilibrium, leading to unpredictable outcomes and strategic complexities.

• In a 2x2 matrix game, players may have strategies that lead to no stable outcome.

• Example: If both players choose to defect in a Prisoner's Dilemma, they both end up worse off.

• Another example is the 'Battle of the Sexes' where players prefer different outcomes, leading to multiple equilibria but no stable one.

• Games like 'Matching Pennies' show that players can never settle on a str...read more