This book provides a conceptual basis about interest rates, how they behave with changing market conditions, and how risk can be managed. We are concerned not only with primary securities, like Treasury and corporate bonds, but with derivative securities, like forward and futures contracts, debt options, swaps involving interest rates, credit and currencies, and mortgage derivatives. We will see also that embedded options in a bond or mortgage-backed security, like call and prepayment options, can be valued and option-adjusted spreads can be determined. Finally, our concern is with the management of a fixed-income portfolio and the tradeoff between risk and expected return.
Throughout, a rich body of theory is examined, as are the empirical evidence and practice that bear on the theory. The first half of the book is devoted to the foundations for understanding interest-rate behavior: market equilibration, funds flows between financial markets, mathematics of bond and money market yields, inflation, maturity, coupon rate, default risk, and bond price volatility. The remaining chapters use these foundations to explore a variety of derivative securities and their uses, the influence of taxes on interest-rate differentials, and the social allocation of capital. The institutional backdrop is presented in conjunction with concepts, risk, and practice — not as separate chapters.
Financial Market Rates and Flows can be used as a foundation text or as a supplement for courses in fixed-income securities, money and banking, money and capital markets, investments, financial risk management, and financial institutions. In addition, it is useful to those in the financial community, in business, and in government who are concerned with investing in or issuing fixed-income securities.