Estimate a Bond Price Move with Duration
Estimate the price impact of a parallel yield change using modified duration.
A $2,000,000 bond sleeve has modified duration 4.8. The risk team asks for the rough impact of a 75 basis point rise in yields. Approximate percentage price change = - modified duration x change in yield The common trap is to treat 75 basis points as 75%, or to forget the negative sign when yields rise. Step 1 Convert 75 basis points to 0.75 percentage points, or 0.0075 in decimal yield terms. Basis points keep rate changes precise: 100 basis points equals one percentage point. The duration formula uses the yield change as a decimal. Step 2 Multiply duration by…
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