The Behaviour Of Interest Rates

Can expectations alone explain the yield differentials among bonds of different maturities? To what extend do attitudes toward risk and transactions costs influence the behavior of bond investors? Is it possible for the Federal Reserve to "twist" the interest-rate structure in accordance with its policy objectives? These are among the questions treated. Originally published in 1966. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Investors seek to hedge against interest rate risk by taking long or short positions on bonds of different maturities. We study changes in risk taking behavior in a low interest rate environment by estimating a market stochastic discount factor that is non-linear and therefore consistent with the empirical properties of cashflow valuations identified in the literature. We provide evidence that non-linearities arise from hedging strategies of investors exposed to interest rate risk. Capital losses are amplified when interest rates increase and risk averse investors have taken positions on instruments with longer maturity, expecting instead interest rates to revert back to their historical average.

Presenting 25 years of empirical research on interest rates and a variety of asset prices, this text aims to deepen understanding of asset price inflation. It includes an analysis of the measurement of interest rates, with case studies from The Netherlands, Belgium and EMU, and emphasizes statistical measurement and the attempt to understand interest rate behaviour through statistical estimation. The text also includes an examination of historical interest rate development in the long run, both theoretically and empirically. The behaviour of bonds, stocks, and investment in art are analyzed, as well as the factors indispensable for a monetary strategy designed to target inflation.