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A Pure Test for the Elasticity of Yield Spreads

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Author Info
Gady Jacoby
Chuan Liao
Jonathan A. Batten

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Abstract

The correlation between interest rates and corporate bond yield spreads is a well-known feature of structural bond pricing models. Duffee (1998) argues that this correlation is weak once the effects of call options are removed from the data; a conclusion that contradicts the negative correlation expected by Longstaff and Schwartz (1995). However, Elton et al. (2001) point out that Duffee's analysis ignores the effects of the tax differential between U.S. Treasury and corporate bonds. Canadian bonds have no such tax differential, yet, after controlling for callability, we find that the correlation between interest rates and corporate bond spreads remains negligible. We also find a significant negative relationship for callable bonds with this relationship increasing with the moneyness of the call provision. These results are robust under alternate empirical specifications.

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Paper provided by IIIS in its series The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series with number iiisdp195.

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Date of creation: 05 Jan 2007
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Related research
Keywords: Bond Yield Spread; Default Risk; Callable Bonds; Corporate Bonds;

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  1. Long Chen & David A. Lesmond & Jason Wei, 2007. "Corporate Yield Spreads and Bond Liquidity," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 62(1), pages 119-149, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Longstaff, Francis A & Schwartz, Eduardo S, 1995. " A Simple Approach to Valuing Risky Fixed and Floating Rate Debt," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(3), pages 789-819, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Anderson, Ronald W & Sundaresan, Suresh, 1996. "Design and Valuation of Debt Contracts," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(1), pages 37-68. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Dirk Hackbarth & Junjian Miao & Erwan Morellec, 2005. "Capital Structure, Credit Risk, and Macroeconomic Conditions," Boston University - Department of Economics - Macroeconomics Working Papers Series WP2005-005, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  5. John Y. Campbell & Glen B. Taksler, 2003. "Equity Volatility and Corporate Bond Yields," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(6), pages 2321-2350, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Jan Ericsson & Olivier Renault, 2006. "Liquidity and Credit Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(5), pages 2219-2250, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Robert C. Merton, 1973. "Theory of Rational Option Pricing," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 4(1), pages 141-183, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Prisman, Eliezer Z. & Roberts, Gordon S. & Tian, Yisong, 1996. "Optimal bond trading and the tax-timing option in Canada," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(8), pages 1351-1363, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Constantinides, George M. & Ingersoll, Jonathan Jr., 1984. "Optimal bond trading with personal taxes," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 299-335, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Chance, Don M, 1990. " Default Risk and the Duration of Zero Coupon Bonds," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(1), pages 265-74, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Leland, Hayne E, 1994. " Corporate Debt Value, Bond Covenants, and Optimal Capital Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(4), pages 1213-52, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Black, Fischer & Cox, John C, 1976. "Valuing Corporate Securities: Some Effects of Bond Indenture Provisions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 31(2), pages 351-67, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  15. Jordan, Bradford D. & Jordan, Susan D., 1991. "Tax options and the pricing of treasury bond triplets : Theory and evidence," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 135-164, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Gregory R. Duffee, 1998. "The Relation Between Treasury Yields and Corporate Bond Yield Spreads," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(6), pages 2225-2241, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Bodie, Zvi & Taggart, Robert A, Jr, 1978. "Future Investment Opportunities and the Value of the Call Provision on a Bond," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 33(4), pages 1187-1200, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Jacoby, Gady & Roberts, Gordon S., 2003. "Default- and call-adjusted duration for corporate bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(12), pages 2297-2321, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Kamara, Avraham, 1997. " The Relation between Default-Free Interest Rates and Expected Economic Growth Is Stronger Than You Think," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(4), pages 1681-94, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Jonathan A. Batten & Warren P. Hogan & Gady Jacoby, 2005. "Measuring credit spreads: evidence from Australian Eurobonds," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 15(9), pages 651-666, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Campbell R. Harvey, 1997. "The Relation between the Term Structure of Interest Rates and Canadian Economic Growth," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 30(1), pages 169-93, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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