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The Global Insight

What is the relationship between bond maturity and yield?

Author

James Olson

Updated on February 09, 2026

The yield to maturity (YTM) is the percentage rate of return for a bond assuming that the investor holds the asset until its maturity date. It is the sum of all of its remaining coupon payments. A bond’s yield to maturity rises or falls depending on its market value and how many payments remain to be made.

Why do longer maturity bonds have higher yields?

Interest Rates and Duration There are two primary reasons why long-term bonds are subject to greater interest rate risk than short-term bonds: There is a greater probability that interest rates will rise (and thus negatively affect a bond’s market price) within a longer time period than within a shorter period.

How does YTM affect bond duration?

Duration is inversely related to the bond’s coupon rate. Duration is inversely related to the bond’s yield to maturity (YTM). Duration can increase or decrease given an increase in the time to maturity (but it usually increases).

How does YTM affect bond price?

A bond’s price moves inversely with its YTM. An increase in YTM decreases the price and a decrease in YTM increases the price of a bond. The relationship between a bond’s price and its YTM is convex. Percentage price change is more when discount rate goes down than when it goes up by the same amount.

How do you explain bond yield?

If one has to explain in simple terms, bond yield means the returns an investor will derive by investing in the bond. The mathematical formula for calculating yield is the annual coupon rate divided by the current market price of the bond.

What is the difference between bond maturity and duration?

In plain English, “duration” means “length of time” while “maturity” denotes “the extent to which something is full grown.” The higher a bond’s duration, the more the bond’s price will change when interest rates move, thus the higher the interest rate risk.

Which bond has the shortest duration?

Types of bonds

  • U.S. Treasuries: These are the safest bonds of all because the interest and principal payments are guaranteed by the U.S. government.
  • Treasury bills: “T-bills” have the shortest maturities — 13 weeks, 26 weeks, and one year.
  • Treasury notes: These mature in two to 10 years.

What does yield to maturity mean in bond market?

Because yield to maturity is the interest rate an investor would earn by reinvesting every coupon payment from the bond at a constant interest rate until the bond’s maturity date, the present value of all the future cash flows equals the bond’s market price.

How does the yield on a bond work?

Here’s how the math works: Bond A has a price of $1,000 with a coupon payment of 4%, and its initial yield to maturity is 4%. In other words, it pays out $40 of interest each year. Over the course of the following year, the yield on Bond A has moved to 4.5% to be competitive with prevailing rates as reflected in the 4.5% yield on Bond B.

What’s the difference between yield to maturity and YTM?

What is Yield to Maturity (YTM) Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total return anticipated on a bond if the bond is held until it matures. Yield to maturity is considered a long-term bond yield but it is expressed as an annual rate.

What’s the difference between coupon rate and yield to maturity?

While the coupon rate is the rate which is paid out per year as a percentage of the bond’s par value, the yield to maturity is the total appreciation which takes place over the life of the bond remaining at the point of purchase, expressed as an annual % figure.