Guys, i need help with the folloiwng: Why would duration decrease as market yields increase? Thanks
A bond with a higher coupon rate – say 10%, or $100 per year - will return a higher percentage of the bond’s current market value over a given number of years when compared to a bond of similar maturity but with a lower coupon rate, say 7% per year.
If you think of the downward sloping curve, then the curve is steeper when the market yields are lower. A steeper curve means greater changes in price when the market yield changes; thus, higher duration.
In short, duration is directly tied to price, and a negative change in price is positive change in yield and vice versa…keep that in mind in with fixed income.