Both Bond Bill and Bond Ted have 6.2 percent coupons, make semiannual payments, and are priced at par value. Bond Bill has 5 years to maturity, whereas Bond Ted has 25 years to maturity. If interest rates suddenly rise by 2 percent, what is the percentage change in the price of Bond Bill? Of Bond Ted? Both bonds have a par value of $1000. If rates were to suddenly fall by 2 percent instead, what would the percentage change in the price of Bond Bill be then? Of Bond Ted? Illustrate your answers by graphing bond prices versus YTM. What does this problem tell you about the interest rate risk of longer-term bonds?

a-1. Percentage change in the price of Bond Bill = -8.07%

a-2. Percentage change in the price of Bond Ted = -21.12%

b-1. Percentage change in the price of Bond Bill = 8.94%

b-1. Percentage change in the price of Bond Ted = 30.77%

c. See the attached excel file for the graph.

d. It tells us that the longer the term of a bond, the greater will be its interest rate risk.

Explanation:

The price of each bond can be calculated using the following excel function:

Bond price = -PV(YTM, NPER, PMT, FV) (1)

Where;

a-1. If interest rates suddenly rise by 2 percent, what is the percentage change in the price of Bond Bill?

YTM = (6.2% + 2%) / Number of semiannuals in a year = 8.2% / 2 = 4.1%

NPER = Number of semiannuals to maturity = 5 * 2 = 10

PMT = Payment = Coupon rate * Face value = (6.2% / Number of semiannuals in a year) * 1000 = (6.2% / 2) * 1000 = $31

FV = Face value = Initial price of Bond Bill = $1,000

Substituting all the values into equation (1), we have:

New price of Bond Bill = -PV(4.1%, 10, 31, 1000)

Inputting =-PV(4.1%, 10, 31, 1000) in a cell in an excel file (Note: As done in the attached excel file), we have:

New price of Bond Bill = $919.29

Percentage change in the price of Bond Bill = ((New price of Bond Bill - Initial price of Bond Bill) / Initial price of Bond Bill) * 100 = (($919.29 - $1,000) / $1,000) * 100 = -8.07%

a-2. If interest rates suddenly rise by 2 percent, what is the percentage change in the price of Bond Ted?

YTM = (6.2% + 2%) / Number of semiannuals in a year = 8.2% / 2 = 4.1%

NPER = Number of semiannuals to maturity = 25 * 2 = 50

PMT = Payment = Coupon rate * Face value = (6.2% / Number of semiannuals in a year) * 1000 = (6.2% / 2) * 1000 = $31

FV = Face value = Initial price of Bond Ted = $1,000

Substituting all the values into equation (1), we have:

New price of Bond Ted = -PV(4.1%, 50, 31, 1000)

Inputting =-PV(4.1%, 50, 31, 1000) in a cell in an excel file (Note: As done in the attached excel file), we have:

New price of Bond Ted = $788.81

Percentage change in the price of Bond Ted = ((New price of Bond Ted - Initial price of Bond Bill Ted) / Initial price of Bond Ted) * 100 = (($788.81 - $1,000) / $1,000) * 100 = -21.12%

b-1. If rates were to suddenly fall by 2 percent instead, what would the percentage change in the price of Bond Bill be then?

YTM = (6.2% - 2%) / Number of semiannuals in a year = 4.2% / 2 = 2.1%

NPER = Number of semiannuals to maturity = 5 * 2 = 10

PMT = Payment = Coupon rate * Face value = (6.2% / Number of semiannuals in a year) * 1000 = (6.2% / 2) * 1000 = $31

FV = Face value = Initial price of Bond Bill = $1,000

Substituting all the values into equation (1), we have:

New price of Bond Bill = -PV(2.1%, 10, 31, 1000)

Inputting =-PV(2.1%, 10, 31, 1000) in a cell in an excel file (Note: As done in the attached excel file), we have:

New price of Bond Bill = $1,089.36

Percentage change in the price of Bond Bill = ((New price of Bond Bill - Initial price of Bond Bill) / Initial price of Bond Bill) * 100 = (($1,089.36 - $1,000) / $1,000) * 100 = 8.94%

b-2. If rates were to suddenly fall by 2 percent instead, what would the percentage change in the price of Bond Ted be then?

rate = new YTM = (6.2% - 2%) / Number of semiannuals in a year = 4.2% / 2 = 2.1%

NPER = Number of semiannuals to maturity = 25 * 2 = 50

PMT = Payment = Coupon rate * Face value = (6.2% / Number of semiannuals in a year) * 1000 = (6.2% / 2) * 1000 = $31

FV = Face value = Initial price of Bond Ted = $1,000

Substituting all the values into equation (1), we have:

New price of Bond Ted = -PV(2.1%, 50, 31, 1000)

Inputting =-PV(2.1%, 50, 31, 1000) in a cell in an excel file (Note: As done in the attached excel file), we have:

New price of Bond Ted = $1,307.73

Percentage change in the price of Bond Ted = ((New price of Bond Ted - Initial price of Bond Bill Ted) / Initial price of Bond Ted) * 100 = (($1,307.73 - $1,000) / $1,000) * 100 = 30.77%

c. Illustrate your answers by graphing bond prices versus YTM.

Note: See the attached excel file for the graph.

d. What does this problem tell you about the interest rate risk of longer-term bonds?

It tells us that the longer the term of a bond, the greater will be its interest rate risk.