N
The Global Insight

What happens to corporate bonds if interest rates rise?

Author

Christopher Davis

Updated on February 11, 2026

Bonds have an inverse relationship to interest rates. When the cost of borrowing money rises (when interest rates rise), bond prices usually fall, and vice-versa.

How do interest rates in the economy affect the price of a corporate bond?

When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. When interest rates fall, bond prices rise. Bond yields rise when interest rates rise and drop when rates fall. Rising interest rates can make investors more interested in stocks because bonds sell for less.

Are corporate bonds affected by interest rates?

The bonds of companies with the best credit ratings (typically designated “AAA”) pay lower interest rates as a rule because investors will accept lower yields in return for reduced risk. If a company’s bond ratings are downgraded, the price of the bonds usually falls, resulting in increased yields.

How does economic growth affect bond performance?

Bond yields as an economic indicator As investors sell government bonds, prices drop, and yields increase. A higher yield indicates greater risk. A whole host of factors including recessions, inflation, and bank rate set by central banks can have an impact on bond yields.

What is long term interest rate?

Long-term interest rates refer to government bonds maturing in ten years. Rates are mainly determined by the price charged by the lender, the risk from the borrower and the fall in the capital value. Long-term interest rates are generally averages of daily rates, measured as a percentage.

What happens to the bond market when interest rates increase?

The sensitivity of a bond’s price to changes in interest rates is known as its duration. For this reason, when the Federal Reserve increased interest rates in March 2017 by a quarter percentage point, the bond market fell.

Is there inverse relationship between bond prices and interest rates?

At first glance, the inverse relationship between interest rates and bond prices seems somewhat illogical, but upon closer examination, it makes good sense.

What happens to zero coupon bonds when interest rates rise?

If current interest rates were to rise, giving newly issued bonds a yield of 10%, then the zero-coupon bond yielding 5.26% would not only be less attractive, it wouldn’t be in demand at all. Who wants a 5.26% yield when they can get 10%?

What’s the relationship between interest rates and coupon rates?

To have a shot at attracting investors, newly issued bonds tend to have coupon rates that match or exceed the current national interest rate. When people refer to “the national interest rate” or “the Fed,” they’re most often referring to the federal funds rate set by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).