What does the yield to maturity represent?

Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total rate of return that will have been earned by a bond when it makes all interest payments and repays the original principal. YTM is essentially a bond’s internal rate of return (IRR) if held to maturity.

How do you compare yield to maturity?

Example: If you paid $960 for a $1,000 bond and held it to maturity, you would receive the full $1,000 principal. The $40 difference between the purchase price and the face value is profit, and is included in the calculation of the bond’s yield to maturity.

What happens when yield to maturity increases?

Without calculations: When the YTM increases, the price of the bond decreases. Without calculations: When the YTM decreases, the price of the bond increases. (Note that you don’t need calculations for this price, because the YTM is equal to the coupon rate). to a change in the interest rate (YTM).

Is YTM same as interest rate?

Yield to maturity (YTM) is the overall interest rate earned by an investor who buys a bond at the market price and holds it until maturity. Mathematically, it is the discount rate at which the sum of all future cash flows (from coupons and principal repayment) equals the price of the bond.

How do you determine if a bond is a good investment?

The most important aspects are the bond’s price, its interest rate and yield, its date to maturity, and its redemption features. Analyzing these key components allows you to determine whether a bond is an appropriate investment.

Can YTM be negative?

For the YTM to be negative, a premium bond has to sell for a price so far above par that all its future coupon payments could not sufficiently outweigh the initial investment. For example, the bond in the above example has a YTM of 16.207%. If it sold for $1,650 instead, its YTM goes negative and plummets to -4.354%.

What does a positive yield curve mean?

Positive-yield-curve definition An upward sloping yield curve that is characterized by interest rates that are higher on long-term debt than on short-term debt. This is the normal situation, because investors have to be compensated more for taking on the greater risk of tying their funds up for a longer period of time.

What are the three main theories that attempt to explain the yield curve?

Three economic theories—the expectations, liquidity-preference, and institutional or hedging pressure theories—explain the shape of the yield curve.