Fixed Income Flashcards
Calculate exposure for each year of a bond
Take the final payout date and discount by the yield and add in the coupons along the way (1 year at a time)
Given exposure, default probability, and recovery amounts, calculate riskiest bonds
- find expected loss by taking (exposure - recovery) * default probability and the high expected loss is the riskiest bond
Two broad categories that cover credit risk models
1) Reduced Form
2) Structural
Reduced form credit model
- seek to predict when a default may occur, but not why
- based only on observable variables
- says credit evens are exogenous and random
Structural Model
- Based on an option perspective of the stakeholders of the company
- Bondholders are viewed as owners of the assets of the company, while shareholders have the call options on those assets
Hazard Rate
The probability that an event will occur, given that it has not already occurred
Upfront payment on a CDS
PV(protection leg) - PV(premium leg), basically whoever’s value is more has to pay the difference
Upfront premium
(credit spread - fixed coupon) *duration
Naked CDS
A position in which the holder does not have a position in the underlying
Curve Trade
buying a CDS of one maturity and selling a CDS on the same reference of a different maturity
Basis trade
A trade based on the pricing of credit in the bond market vs the price of the credit in the CDS market. To executive, go long the underpriced credit and short the overpriced credit until the two converge
Spot rate
The interest rate that is determined today for a risk-free, single unit payment at a specified future date
Spot curve
YTM’s on a series of default-risk-free zero coupon bonds
Forward Rate
An interest rate determined today for a loan that will be initiated in a future period
Forward Curve
A series of forward rates, each having the same time frame
Par Curve
A sequence of YTM’s such that each bond is priced at par value, where each bond are assumed to have the same currency, credit risk, liquidity, tax status, and annual yields stated for the same periodicity
Bootstrapping
The use of a forward substitution process to determine zero coupon rates by using the par yields and solving for the zero-coupon rates one by one
Rolling down the yield (riding the yield curve)
A maturity trading strategy that involves buying bonds with a maturity longer than the intended investment horizon
Swap rate
Fixed rate to be paid by the fixed-rate payer
Par Swap
A swap in which the fixed rate is set so that no money is exchanged at contract initiation
Swap spread
Difference between fixed rate on interest rate swap and the rate on a treasury
I Spread
Reference to linearly interpolated yield
TED spread
a measure of perceived credit risk, difference between Libor and t bill
OIS Spread
difference between LIBOR and overnight indexed swap rate
Local expectations theory
Return for all bonds over short periods is the risk free rate
3 Factors that explain yield curve shape changes
1) Level - explains the most
2) Steepness
3) Curvature
Bearish flattening
Short-term bond yields rise, curve goes flat
Bullish steepening
Short-term rates fall, curve goes steep
Bullish flattening
Long-term rates fall, curve goes flat
Bullet portfolio
A fixed income portfolio concentrated in a single maturity
Dominance principle
arbitrage opportunity when a financial asset with a risk-free payout in the future must have a positive price today
Cox-Ingersoll-Ross Model (CIR)
Model that assumes interest rates are mean reverting and interest rate volatility is directly related to the level of interest rates
Vasicek Model
Interest rates are mean reverting and interest rate volatility is constant
Ho-Lee Model
- The first arb model, calibrated to market data and uses a binomial lattice approach to generate a distribution of possible future interest rates
- Can be calibrated to closely fit an observed yield curve
Kalotay-Williams-Fabozzi Model (KWF)
Describes the dynamics of the log of the short-rate and assumes constant drift, no mean reversion, and constant volatility
Effective duration definition and formula
sensitivity of the bond’s price to an instant parallel shift in a benchmark yield curve, for example, the government par curve
(v minus - v plus) / (2v0change in yield)
Conversion Price
For a convertible bond, the price per share at which the bond can be converted into shares
Market price of convertible bond / conversion ratio
Conversion Rate (ratio)
The number of stock that bondholder receives from converting the bond into shares
When would a forced conversion happen
when underlying share prices increases above the conversion price
Conversion Value
- Parity Value
- market price of stock * conversion ratio
Expected Exposure
Projected amount of money an investor could lose if an event of default occurs, before factoring in possible recovery
Credit Valuation Adjustment
The value of the credit risk of a bond in present value terms