Risk Associated With Investing in Fixed Income Securities

The return obtained from a fixed income security fromwill mean the realization of a capital loss. This risk is
the day it is purchased to the day it is sold can bereferred to as market risk or interest rate which is by
divided into two parts,far the biggest risk faceted by an investor in the fixed
1. The market value of the security when its evenincome market.
actually sold.• It is customary to represent the market by the
2. The cash flows received from the security over theyield levels on treasury securities. Most other yields are
time period that it is held. Plus any additional incomecompared to the treasury levels and are quoted as
from reinvestment of the cash flow.spreads off appropriate treasury yields. To the
Several environmental factors affect one or both ofextended that the yields of all fixed income securities
these two parts. We can define the risk in any securityare interrelated there prices respond to changes in
as a measure of these market factors on the returntreasury rates.
characteristics of the security.• The actual magnitude of the price response for
The different types of risk that in fixed incomeany security depends on various characteristics of the
securities is exposed to are as followssecurity such as coupon, maturity and the options
• Market or Interest-rate riskembedded into the security.
• Reinvestment• Reinvestment Risk
• Timing or Call• The cash flows received from a security are
• Yield-curve maturityusually (or are assumed tube) reinvested. The
• Inflation or Purchasing poweradditional income from such reinvestment, sometimes
• Marketability or Liquiditycalled interest on interest, depends on the prevailing
• Exchange rate or Currencyinterest rate levels at the time of reinvestment as well
• Volatilityas on there reinvestment strategy. The variability in the
• Political or Legalreturns from reinvestment from a given strategy due
• Eventto changes in market rates in called reinvestment risk.
• Sector• The risk here is that the interest rate at which
• Market or Interest rateinterim cash flows can be reinvestment will fall.
• The price of typical fixed income security moves inReinvestment risk is greater for longer holding periods.It
the opposite direction of the change in interest. As rateis also grater for securities with large, early cash flows
rice (pass), the price of a fixed income security will fallsuch as high-coupon bonds.
(rise).• It should be noted that interest rate risk and
• For an investor who plans to hold fixed incomereinvestment risk opposite each other. For example
security to maturity, the changes is its price beforeinterest rate risk is the risk that interest rates will rise,
maturity is not of concern, however for an investorthereby reducing the price of a fixed income security.
who may have to sell the fixed income securityIn contrast, reinvestment risk is the risk that interest
before the maturity date an increase in interest ratesrates will fall.