In: Finance
Interest rate sensitivity of the bond is a measure of how much
the price of the bond will fluctuate as a result of changes in the
interest rate environment of the market.
We can understand Sensitivity as:
It is important to take into consideration this type of sensitivity during buying a bond as it will decide/affect how much the bond will sell in the secondary market.
Bonds duration: Duration is a measure of the bond's
sensitivity.
It is a fact (mathematically proven) that Bonds and interest rates
are inversely correlated. Therefore, as interest rates rise, prices
of fixed-income securities tend to fall. One way to determine how
interest rates affect a fixed-income security's portfolio is to
determine the duration.
According to the duration formula, Bond's duration is also
inversely proportional to changes in interest rates.
Investors who understand well the concept of duration can immunize
their bond portfolios to changes in short-term (and sometimes
long-term also) interest rates.
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