Bond Yields
by MaestriIf you examine the bond market table of The Wall Street Journal or a price sheet put out by a bond dealer, you will typically see information regarding each bond’s maturity date, price, and coupon interest rate. You will also see the bond’s reported yield. Unlike the coupon interest rate, which is fixed, the bond’s yield varies from day to day depending on current market conditions. Moreover, the yield can be calculated in three different ways, and three “answers” can be obtained. These different yields are described in the following sections.
Yield to Maturity
Suppose you were offered a 14-year, 10 percent annual coupon, $1,000 par value bond at a price of $1,494.93. What rate of interest would you earn on your investment if you bought the bond and held it to maturity? This rate is called the bond’s yield to maturity (YTM), and it is the interest rate generally discussed by investors when they talk about rates of return.
The yield to maturity is identical to the total rate of return discussed in the preceding section. The yield to maturity can also be viewed as the bond’s promised rate of return, which is the return that investors will receive if all the promised payments are made. However, the yield to maturity equals the expected rate of return only if (1) the probability of default is zero and (2) the bond cannot be called. If there is some default risk, or if the bond may be called, then there is some probability that the promised payments to maturity will not be received, in which case the calculated yield to maturity will differ from the expected return.
The YTM for a bond that sells at par consists entirely of an interest yield, but if the bond sells at a price other than its par value, the YTM will consist of the interest yield plus a positive or negative capital gains yield. Note also that a bond’s yield to maturity changes whenever interest rates in the economy change, and this is almost daily. One who purchases a bond and holds it until it matures will receive the YTM that existed on the purchase date, but the bond’s calculated YTM will change frequently between the purchase date and the maturity date.
Taken From : Five-Minute MBA – Corporate Finance
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