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fixed incomeintermediate25 min

Bond Valuation Step-by-Step

A complete workflow for pricing bonds, finding YTM, and understanding the price-yield relationship.

What You'll Learn

  • โœ“Price a bond with annual or semi-annual coupons
  • โœ“Find YTM using trial and error
  • โœ“Explain premium, par, and discount pricing

1. Identify Bond Cash Flows

Coupon bonds pay periodic interest plus face value at maturity. Zero-coupon bonds pay only face value.

Key Points

  • โ€ขAnnual coupon = coupon rate ร— face value
  • โ€ขSemi-annual: halve coupon, double periods
  • โ€ขFace value is typically $1,000

2. Discount to Find Price

PV the coupon stream as an annuity and PV the face value as a lump sum. Add both for the bond price.

Key Points

  • โ€ขUse YTM as the discount rate
  • โ€ขAnnuity factor for coupons
  • โ€ขSingle PV factor for face value

3. Price-Yield Relationship

Bond price and yield move inversely. Higher yields mean lower prices. The relationship is convex.

Key Points

  • โ€ขCoupon rate = YTM means price = par
  • โ€ขCoupon > YTM means premium
  • โ€ขCoupon < YTM means discount

4. Finding YTM

YTM is the rate that makes price equal to PV of cash flows. Solve by trial and error or financial calculator.

Key Points

  • โ€ขYTM assumes reinvestment at same rate
  • โ€ขBetween two trial rates, interpolate
  • โ€ขCalculator TVM keys: N, PMT, PV, FV solve for I/Y

Key Takeaways

  • โ˜…Duration measures price sensitivity to yield changes
  • โ˜…Longer maturity = more price sensitivity
  • โ˜…Pull-to-par: premium bonds decline toward par as maturity approaches

Practice Questions

1. A bond with 8% coupon trades at $1,050. Is YTM above or below 8%?
Below 8%. The bond trades at a premium, so yield is less than the coupon rate.
2. What is the price of a zero-coupon bond with $1,000 face, 10 years, 6% yield?
1000/1.06^10 = 1000/1.7908 = $558.39.

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FAQs

Common questions about this topic

Halve the annual coupon and YTM, then double the number of periods.

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