INVESTMENTS, CHAPTER 10

EXPLORING INVESTMENTS:  MEASURING BOND PRICE VOLATILITY--BOND DURATION

We know that when interest rates go up, bond prices fall.  There are several factors that affect the amount by which the price of a particular bond will fall.  We will look at some of these factors, and then examine duration, a statistic for measuring the price volatility of a bond.
 
  1. Assuming all other factors constant, if interest rates rise 1 percent, which of the following two bonds will lose more value?
  2. Assuming all other factors constant, if interest rates rise 1 percent, which of the following bonds will lose more value?
  3. Assuming all other factors constant, if interest rates rise 1 percent, which of the following bonds will lose more value?
  4. Assuming all other factors constant, if interest rates rise 1 percent, which of the following bonds will lose more value?
  5. Bond duration can help us gauge how sensitive a bond price is to changes in interest rates.  Use the duration calculator at the Investopedia website to determine the duration of each of the following bonds which are priced to yield 10 percent.  (Once you get your answer, be sure to read the interpretation just below it; doing so will help you determine whether you have entered the correct variables in the calculator)
  6. Based on your duration results in Part 5, by what percent would the price of each bond fall if interest rates rose 1 percent?