Bond Markets

Base Knowledge

 Previous knowledge in the areas of Mathematics of Finance and Financial and Monetary  Economics.

Teaching Methodologies

Classes are theoretical-practical in nature, initially favouring the lecture method, followed by the application of the concepts learnt through the resolution of a set of practical cases.

As this is a 2nd cycle course, it is important to carry out assignments, which take the form of discussing a scientific article.

The articles proposed to the students are the result, in each edition, of the observation of a set of criteria, namely: that they come from the same thematic area; that they have been published recently; and that they are relevant to the literature.

This methodology allows for the acquisition of new knowledge, but also contact with the latest research practices.

Learning Results

Goals:

In the context of this subject, one intends to promote the discussion of issues associated with the bond market, especially the essential characteristics of bonds, as well as the existing typologies, assessment measures and their potential as an instrument for hedging interest rate risk.

 

Skills:

At the end of the course, students must be able to:

– identify the main characteristics of the various types of bonds and get to know the different market segments;

– understand the fundamental concepts associated with the time structure of an economy’s interest rate;

– discuss the various profitability measures and bond valuation methodologies;

– consider the main measures for assessing interest rate risk and apply them when pursuing asset and liability immunisation strategies;

– recognise the main trends in the markets and in bond research.

 

Program

1. Organization and operating mode

Concept and characteristics of bonds

Types of bonds

Market segments

2. Time structure of interest rates

Spot rates

Forward rates

Discount factors

Estimating the term structure of interest rates: bootstrapping

Explanatory theories

3. Bond yield measures

Coupon rate

Current yield

Effective rate of return

Yield to maturity

Modified yield to maturity

Yield to call

Realized income rate

4. Bond valuation

Bond valuation methods

Floating rate bonds

Bonds with credit risk

Bonds with embedded options

Interest between coupons

Zero coupon bonds

Perpetuities

5. Interest rate risk measures: duration and convexity

Macaulay duration

Modified duration

Approximate modified duration

Effective duration

Key rate duration

Money duration

Analytical duration versus empirical duration

Duration of a portfolio

Convexity

Convexity of a portfolio

6. Immunization from interest rate risk

Single-period immunization

Multi-period immunization

Curricular Unit Teachers

Ana Paula do Canto Lopes Pires Santos Quelhas

Internship(s)

NAO

Bibliography

 Fundamental:

Fabozzi, F. J. & Fabozzi, F. A. (2021). Bond Markets, Analysis, and Stategies. The MIT Press, 10.ª edição.

Fabozzi, F. J., Mann, S.  & Fabozzi, F. A. (2021). The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities. McGraw Hill, 9.ª edição.

 Quelhas, A.P. (2022). Mercado de Obrigações: Características, Avaliação e Medidas de Risco. Coimbra: Editora d’Ideias.

 

Complementary:

 Goncharenko, R., Ongena, S. & Rauf, A. (2021). The agency of CoCos: Why contingent convertible bonds are not for everyone. Journal of Financial Intermediation, 48, 100882 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfi.2020.100882).

Quelhas, A. P. (2023). Sustentabilidade e Investimento – Uma visão crítica sobre o caso das green bonds. Boletim de Ciências Económicas, LXVI, 2593-2626.

Sinclair, S., McHugh, N. & Roy, M. J. (2021). Social innovation, financialisation and commodification: a critique of social impact bonds. Journal of Economic Policy Reform (https://doi.org/10.1080/17487870.2019.157141).

 

Note: Assessment works will be carried out based on a set of additional references.