- Bond prices decline when interest rates rise (and vice versa), with long-maturity bonds being the most susceptible to rate changes.
- This is due to the fact that longer-term bonds have a longer duration than shorter-term bonds, which are closer to maturity and have fewer remaining coupon payments.
- Long-term bonds are also more vulnerable to interest rate changes throughout the course of their remaining maturity.
- Diversification or the use of interest rate derivatives can help investors manage interest rate risk.
Which bond is more susceptible to changes in interest rates?
While no one can anticipate where interest rates will go in the future, looking at the “duration” of each bond, bond fund, or bond ETF you buy can give you a good idea of how sensitive your fixed income holdings are to interest rate changes. Duration is used by investment experts because it combines various bond features (such as maturity date, coupon payments, and so on) into a single statistic that shows how sensitive a bond’s price is to interest rate fluctuations. A bond or bond fund with a 5-year average term, for example, would likely lose about 5% of its value if interest rates rose 1%.
Duration is measured in years, although it is not the same as the maturity date of a bond. The bond’s maturity date, as well as the bond’s coupon rate, are both important factors in determining length. The remaining time until the bond’s maturity date is equal to its duration in the event of a zero-coupon bond. However, when a coupon is added to a bond, the duration number is always smaller than the maturity date. The duration number decreases as the coupon size increases.
Bonds with extended maturities and low coupon rates typically have the longest durations. These bonds are more volatile in a changing rate environment because they are more susceptible to changes in market interest rates. Bonds having shorter maturity dates or larger coupons, on the other hand, will have shorter durations. Bonds with shorter maturities are less volatile in a changing rate environment because they are less sensitive to rate changes.
A bond with a 5% annual coupon that matures in 10 years (green bar) has a longer term and will decline in price more as interest rates rise than a bond with a 5% annual coupon that matures in 6 months (blue bar) (blue bar). Why is this the case? Because short-term bonds restore principal to investors more quickly than long-term bonds. As a result, they pose a lower long-term risk because the principle is returned earlier and can be reinvested.
Which of the following bonds is the most sensitive to interest rate changes?
The most interest rate price risk is a 10-year, $1,000 face value, zero-coupon bond. The interest rate risk of a bond is primarily determined by two factors: the maturity length and coupon payments. Although all of the bonds have the same maturity date (10 years), they differ in terms of coupon payments.
What makes zero coupon bonds more rate sensitive?
Because all interest payments on zero coupon bonds are compounded and paid at maturity, they are more sensitive to interest rate changes than bonds that pay interest semiannually. The higher the volatility, the longer the bond’s maturity.
Are callable bonds more interest rate sensitive?
- Callable bonds are riskier than noncallable bonds because they can be called away by the issuer before the maturity date.
- Callable bonds, on the other hand, compensate investors for their increased risk by paying somewhat higher interest rates.
- Reinvestment risk exists for callable bonds, which means that if the bonds are called away, investors will have to reinvest at a reduced interest rate.
Which bond is the least susceptible to interest rate changes?
Short-term bonds are the least sensitive to market movements since they are less likely to experience significant changes.
Which of the following is highly influenced by interest rates?
A is the correct answer. A bond with the longest tenure is the most vulnerable to interest rate swings in the market.
Which of the following bonds is most likely to have the highest level of volatility?
Which of the following bonds is most likely to see the highest interest rate volatility? A bond with a long maturity and a low coupon rate.
A five-year zero-coupon bond or a five-year bond that pays coupons has the highest associated interest rate risk.
The interest rate risk of a five-year zero-coupon bond is higher.