Chapter 6 Interest Rates 175
6-4 THE TERM STRUCTURE OF INTEREST RATES
The term structure of interest rates describes the relationship between long- and
short-term rates. The term structure is important to corporate treasurers deciding
whether to borrow by issuing long- or short-term debt and to investors who are
deciding whether to buy long- or short-term bonds. Therefore, both borrowers and
lenders should understand (1) how long- and short-term rates relate to each other
and (2) what causes shifts in their relative levels.
Interest rates for bonds with different maturities can be found in a variety of
publications, including The Wall Street Journal and the Federal Reserve Bulletin, and
on a number of web sites, including Bloomberg, Yahoo!, CNN Financial, and the
Federal Reserve Board. Using interest rate data from these sources, we can
determine the term structure at any given point in time. For example, the tabular
section below Figure 6-4 presents interest rates for different maturities on three
different dates. The set of data for a given date, when plotted on a graph such as
Figure 6-4, is called the yield curve for that date.
Term Structure of
Interest Rates
The relationship between
bond yields and
maturities.
Term Structure of
Interest Rates
The relationship between
bond yields and
maturities.
Yield Curve
A graph showing the
relationship between bond
yields and maturities.
Yield Curve
A graph showing the
relationship between bond
yields and maturities.
U.S. Treasury Bond Interest Rates on Di! erent Dates
F I G U R E 6! 4
INTEREST RATE
Term to Maturity March 1980 February 2000 January 2008
1 year 14.0% 6.2% 2.7%
5 years 13.5 6.7 3.0
10 years 12.8 6.7 3.7
30 years 12.3 6.3 4.3
0
0
Short
Term
Intermediate
Term
Long
Term
10 20 30
Yield Curve for
January 2008
Yield Curve for
February 2000
Yield Curve for
March 1980
Years to Maturity
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Interest
Rate (%)