You read in the Financial Times that 90-day Treasury bills are currently yielding 6.5% and 5-year Treasury bonds are yielding 7.75%. You have got the following estimates current interest rate premium which expected to be constant in the coming five years.
Inflation Premium. IP = 3.25%
Maturity Risk Premium. MRP = 1.8%
Liquidity Premium. LP = 0.6%
Default Risk Premium. DRP = 2.15%
1) What is the real risk-free rate of return on T-bill and T-bond?
T-bill is a short term security, that means LP = 0, MRP = 0, DRP = 0.Then,
Nominal rate or Quoted rate (K) = Real risk-free rate of return (K*) + Inflation Premium (IP)
K = K* + IP
Real risk-free rate of return (K*) = Nominal rate (K) - Inflation Premium (IP)
K* = K – IP
K* = 6.5% – 3.25%
K* = 3.25%
T-bond is a long term security, that means LP = 0, DRP = 0. Then,
Nominal rate (K) =
Real risk-free rate of return (K*) + Inflation Premium (IP) + Maturity Risk Premium (MRP)
K = K* + IP + MRP
Real risk-free rate of return = K* = K – (IP + MRP) K* = 7.75% – (3.25% + 1.8%) K* = 7.75% – 5.05% K* = 2.7%
2) If the KAT company decided to issue 1-year bonds and 5-years bonds. At the same conditions listed above, what are the nominal rate and real rate of these bonds?
1-year bond is a short term security, that means MRP = 0 . then,
Nominal or (Quoted) rate of return on this bond (K) =
Real risk-free rate of return (K*) + Inflation Premium (IP) + Liquidity Premium (LP) + Default Risk Premium (DRP) K = K* + IP + LP + DRP
K = 3.25% + 3.25% + 0.6% + 2.15%
K = 9.25%
The real rate of return on this bond = Nominal rate (K) – Inflation Premium (IP) = K - IP