Risk Factor Analysis and Portfolio Immunization in the Corporate Bond Market

In this paper we develop a multi-factor model for the yields of corporate bonds. The model allows the analysis of factors which influence the changes in the term structure of corporate bonds. More than 98% of the variability in the corporate bond market is captured by the model, which is then used to develop credit risk immunization strategies. Empirical results are given for the U.S. market using data for the period 1992-1999.

Default risk and the effective duration of bonds

Basis risk is the risk attributable to uncertain movements in the spread between yields associated with a particular financial instrument or class of instruments, and a reference interest rate over time. There are seven types of basis risk: Yields on 1) Long-term versus short-term financial instruments, 2) Domestic currency versus foreign currencies, 3) Liquid versus illiquid investments, 4) Bonds with higher or lower sensitivity to changes in interest rate volatility, 5) Taxable versus tax-free instruments, 6) Spot versus futures contracts and 7) Default-free versus non-default-free securities. Basis risk makes it difficult for the fixed-income portfolio manager to measure the portfolio's exposure to interest rate risk, heightens the anxiety of traders and arbitrageurs who are hedging their investments, and compounds the financial institution's problem of matching assets and liabilities. Much attention has been paid to the first type of basis risk. In recent years, attention has turned toward understanding the relation between credit risk and duration. The authors focus on that, emphasizing the importance of taking credit risk into account when computing measures of duration. The consensus of all work in this area is that credit risk shortens the effective duration of corporate bonds. The authors estimate how much durations shorten because of credit risk, basing their estimates on observable data and easily estimated bond pricing parameters.Banks&Banking Reform,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Economic Theory&Research,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Strategic Debt Management,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Insurance&Risk Mitigation

Effectively Hedging the Interest Rate Risk of Wide Floating Rate Coupon Spreads

Bond issuers frequently immunize/hedge their interest rate exposure by means of interest rate swaps (IRS). The receiving leg matches all bond cash-flows, while the pay leg requires floating rate coupon payments of form LIBOR + a spread. The goal of hedging against interest rate risk is only achieved in full if the present value of this spread is zero. Using market data we show that under a traditional IRS hedging strategy an investor could still experience significant cash flow losses given a 1% shift in the underlying benchmark yield curve. We consider the instantaneous interest-rate risk of a bond portfolio that allows for general changes in interest rates. We make two contributions. The paper analyzes the size of hedging imperfections arising from the widening of the floating rate spread in a traditional swap contract and subsequently proposes two new practical, effective and analytically tractable swap structures; Structure 1: An Improved Parallel Hedge Swap, hedges against parallel shifts of the yield curve and Structure 2: An Improved Non-Parallel Hedge Swap, hedges against any movement of the swap curve. Analytical representations of these swaps are provided such that spreadsheet implementations are easily attainable.Portfolio Immunization; Interest Rate Swaps; Hedging; Floating Rate Spreads; Interest Rate Risk and Yield Curve

Portfolio Management for a Random Field of Bond Returns

A new method of bond portfolio optimization is described. The method is based on stochastic string models of bond returns. It is shown how to approximate the bond return correlation function with Padé approximations and how to compute the optimal portfolio allocation using Wiener-Hopf factorization. The technique is illustrated with an example of the Treasury bond portfolio.bond portfolio management, stochastic string, Toeplitz operators, Padé approximations, Wiener-Hopf factorization.

When Can you Immunize a Bond Portfolio?.

This paper presents a condition equivalent to the existence of a Riskless Shadow Asset that guarantees a minimum return when the asset prices are convex functions of interest rates or other state variables. We apply this lemma to immunize default free and option free coupon bonds and reach three main conclusions. First, we give a solution to an old puzzle: why do simple duration matching portfolios work well in empirical studies of immunization even though they are derived in a model inconsistent with equilibrium and shifts on the term structure of interest rates are not parallel, as as sumed? Second, we establish a clear distinction between the concepts of immunized and maxmin portfolios. Third, we develop a framework that includes the main results of this literature as special cases. Next, we present a new strategy of immunization that consists in matching duration and minimizing a new linear dispersion measure of immunization risk.Immunization; Maxmin portfolio; Weak immunization condition; Worst shock; Dispersion measures;

The determinants of corporate debt maturity structure: evidence from Czech firms

This paper investigates the determinants of the corporate debt maturity structure of Czech firms. The theoretical section provides an overview of contemporary theories on corporate debt maturity structure. The regression section describes an econometric model showing that the long-term debt increases with Firm size, Leverage and Asset maturity. The impact of Growth options, Collateralizable assets, Firm tax rate, and Firm level volatility has been found out as statistically insignificant. The portfolio analyses section of this paper shows the bank-based system pattern of financing of Czech firms, increasing importance of intra-group financing and increasing presence of Maturity matching principle. Finally, the paper discusses the limitations of the results in the field of data, variables, and determinants.corporate debt maturity structure; bank debt; bond debt; short-term debt; long-term debt; transition economy

Interest rate risk immunization - the impact of credit risk in the quality of immunization case study: immunization with Portuguese bonds and German bonds

This paper involves an assessment of the interest rate risk present in Financial Institutions and the methods used for its immunization. The paper consists on two parts. The first part presents a theoretical review of the interest rate risk and how this risk can be immunized. Concepts such as Macaulay (1938) and Fisher & Weil (1971) duration and their limitations in the process of the approximation to the price of a considered bond will be highlighted. In the second part the main indicators of the credit risk on bonds are analyzed. Based on market prices of Portugal’s bonds and Germany’s bonds, the quality of immunization is tested. The interest rate derivatives are then introduced as a method of hedging interest rate risk. At the end, an interview is conducted with the responsible for hedging the interest rate risk in one of the largest private banks in Portugal in order to identify the methods used to capture the interest rate risk and to understand how this risk is immunized. This paper allows us to conclude about the importance of credit risk in an immunization strategy of interest rate risk. We conclude that interest rate hedging based on Fisher & Weil (1971) duration is not possible in a scenario of high volatility of credit risk. Interest rate hedge based on interest rate swap becomes more attractive to the Financial Institutions

Does Fund Size Matter: An Analysis of Small and Large

Mutual funds have become a staple for retirement savings and have received much research attention. Bond funds, though, have received little attention to date, and the effects of fund size on performance are still in dispute. Using cross sectional and time series regression analysis, the performance of high yield and corporate bond funds are contrasted, with potential causes for the differences identified. A few fundamental economic variables are found to explain a large portion of fund returns. Bond index returns are found to have the greatest impact of any variable on fund returns, with the most pronounced effect on large corporate bond funds. The impact of fund size on performance is also examined, with evidence suggesting that after a point fund returns are negatively impacted as net assets grow. This poses a key microeconomic question regarding the benefits and costs of fund scale

Effectively Hedging the Interest Rate Risk of Wide Floating Rate Coupon Spreads

Bond issuers frequently immunize/hedge their interest rate exposure by means of interest rate swaps (IRS). The receiving leg matches all bond cash-flows, while the pay leg requires floating rate coupon payments of form LIBOR + a spread. The goal of hedging against interest rate risk is only achieved in full if the present value of this spread is zero. Using market data we show that under a traditional IRS hedging strategy an investor could still experience significant cash flow losses given a 1% shift in the underlying benchmark yield curve. We consider the instantaneous interest-rate risk of a bond portfolio that allows for general changes in interest rates. We make two contributions. The paper analyzes the size of hedging imperfections arising from the widening of the floating rate spread in a traditional swap contract and subsequently proposes two new practical, effective and analytically tractable swap structures; Structure 1: An Improved Parallel Hedge Swap, hedges against parallel shifts of the yield curve and Structure 2: An Improved Non-Parallel Hedge Swap, hedges against any movement of the swap curve. Analytical representations of these swaps are provided such that spreadsheet implementations are easily attainable

The History of the Quantitative Methods in Finance Conference Series. 1992-2007

This report charts the history of the Quantitative Methods in Finance (QMF) conference from its beginning in 1993 to the 15th conference in 2007. It lists alphabetically the 1037 speakers who presented at all 15 conferences and the titles of their papers.