8 BONDSWITHEMBEDDEDOPTIONS

ANALYSIS OF BONDS
WITH
EMBEDDED OPTIONS

A BOND WITH AN EMBEDDED OPTION IS ONE IN
WHICH EITHER THE ISSUER OR THE BONDHOLDER
HAS THE OPTION TO CHANGE A BOND’S CASH FLOWS

MOST COMMON EMBEDDED OPTION IS :

CALL OPTION

Issue

Price

YTM
(%)

Treasury
C=8.8%


96.61

9.15

Corporate
C=8.8%

87.07

10.24

Yield Spread =

109 BP

This simple analysis does not take into consideration

The term structure of interest rate


Volatility of interest rate

STATIC SPREAD
Will the cash flow analysis be the same for :
•a zero coupoun 25-year corporate bond
•a 8.8% coupon, 25-year corporate bond

NO

?

Risk asociated with holding a corporate over a Treasury

STATIC SPREAD
Zero Volatility spread
Z-spread

Spread that will make the PV of the cash flows from the corporate
bond, when discounted at the Swap zero-rates + spread , equal to
the corporate’s bond price

Static spread in our example would therefore be 120BP and not 109BP

The shorter the maturity of the bond, the less the static spread will
differ from the traditional yield spread.

On Bloomberg, when hitting YAS on a bond,
Z-spread is the static spread and OAS, the Option Adjutsted spread).
The option price is Z-spread- OAS

CALLABLE BONDS
•The holder of a callable bond has given the issuer
the right…to call (buy back) the issue prior to expiration .
Disadvantage for the bondholder :

Reinvestment
Risk

Lack of price
Appreciation potential


Lack of price
appreciation potential

PRICE COMPRESSION

PRICE/YIELD RELATIONSHIP FOR A CALLABLE BOND
PRICE
a’

P’

Bullet Bond (convexity shape)

b
Callable
Bond (a-b)

a

Price Compression

Y’

YIELD

PRICE/YIELD RELATIONSHIP FOR A CALLABLE BOND
PRICE

Price Compression

P’

b
Callable
Bond (a-b)

a

Y’

YIELD


A bond with an embedded option (call) can be considered as a portfolio
of : bond + Option

A bullet bond

A call option

YTMcallable<

/ >

YTMnoncallable

YTMcallable >

YTMnoncallable

CALLABLE BOND


NONCALLABLE BOND - CALL OPTION PRICE

PRICE/YIELD RELATIONSHIP FOR A CALLABLE BOND
PRICE

What is the option’s price ?

a’

PNC - PC = Call Option Price
PNC

Non callable Bond

b
PC
Callable
Bond (a-b)

a


Y’’

Y’

YIELD

VALUATION MODEL
CALLABLE BOND

NONCALLABLE BOND - CALL OPTION PRICE

VALUATION MODEL
PUTTABLE BOND

NONCALLABLE BOND + PUT OPTION PRICE

The price of an option free bond is the present value of the cash
flows discounted at the spot rates. What is the bond price ?
YEAR


ZERO
RATES

COUPON
RATE
(yearly)

Mkt VALUE

1

3.5%

5.25%

100

2


4.01%

5.25%

100

3

4.541%

5.25%

100

Will this bond trade at a premium/discount ? Premium because all zero rates < coupon rates

5.25/1.035 +

5.25/(1.0401)2


+

105.25/(1.451)3 = 102.047

When analysing embedded options, consideration must be
given to :

INTEREST RATE VOLATILITY
We are trying to determine how the 1-period forward rate can
vary over time based on some assumption about interest rate
volatility

We do this by introducing a Binomial

interest-rate Tree

OBJECTIVE
Determine whether the forward rates are
correctly reflected in the price of a bond
An interest rate model makes assumptions
about the relationship between the level of
short term interest rates and interest rate
volatility

NODE (time period)

r0
N

TODAY

r1H
NH
r1L
NL

1 year

r3HHH
NHHH
r2HH
NHH
r2HL
NHL
r2LL
NLL

2 years

r3HHL
NHHL
r3HLL
NHLL
r3LLL
NLLL
3 years

H : higher of the
two forward rates

r0
N

r1H
NH
r1L
NL

L : lower of the
two forward rates

TODAY

1 year

r3HHH
NHHH
r2HH
NHH
r2HL
NHL
r2LL
NLL

2 years

r3HHL
NHHL
r3HLL
NHLL
r3LLL
NLLL
3 years

H : the higher 1-year rate
one year from now

r0
N

r1H
NH
r1L
NL

L : the lower 1-year rate
one year from now

TODAY

1 year

r3HHH
NHHH
r2HH
NHH
r2HL
NHL
r2LL
NLL

2 years

r3HHL
NHHL
r3HLL
NHLL
r3LLL
NLLL
3 years

H : the higher 1-year rate
two year from now

r2HH
NHH

r0
N

r1H
NH
r1L
NL

r2HL
NHL
r2LL
NLL

L : the lower 1-year rate
two year from now
TODAY

1 year

2 years

r3HHH
NHHH
r3HHL
NHHL
r3HLL
NHLL
r3LLL
NLLL
3 years

N is the root of the tree and is nothing more than the current
1-year forward rate which is denoted by r0
The next year 1-year forward rate can take 2 possible values
of equal probability of occuring. One rate will be higher than the other.
It is assumed that the 1-year rate can evolve over time based on
a random process called Lognormal Random Walk with a certain
volatility.
 = assumed volatility of the 1-year forward rate
r1,H = the higher 1-year rate one year from now
r1,L = the lower 1-year rate one year from now

r1,H = r1,L (e )
2

r1,H = r1,L (e )
2

If

r1,L = 4.074% with a 10% volatility…
Then

r1,H = 4.976%

YEAR 2
•3 different outcomes in the second year for the 1-year rate.
R2,LL = 1-year rate in the second year assuming the lower rate in
the first year and the lower rate in the second year
R2,HH = 1-year rate in the second year assuming the higher rate in
the first year and the higher rate in the second year
R2,HL = 1-year rate in the second year assuming the higher rate in
the first year and the lower rate in the second year(or vice versa)

r2,HH= r2,LL (e )
4

r2,HL= r2,LL (e )
2

r3e6
NHHH
r2e4
NHH

r0
N

TODAY

r1e2
NH
r1
NL

1 year

r2e2
NHL
r2
NLL

2 years

r3e4
NHHL
r3e2
NHLL
r3
NLLL
3 years

DETERMINING THE
VALUE AT A NODE
Components to price a bond ?

•Coupon (C)
•Forward rate ( r )
•Maturity ( t )

The value of the bond at each node depends on the future cash flow

r3e6
NHHH

•The appropriate rate to use is
the 1-year forward rate at the node

r2e4
NHH

r0
N

TODAY

r1e2
NH
r1
NL

1 year

r2e2
NHL
r2
NLL

2 years

r3e4
NHHL
r3e2
NHLL
r3
NLLL
3 years

•The appropriate rate to use is
the 1-year forward rate at the node

r2e4
NHH
r1e2
NH

r2e2
NHL

VH = Bond’s value for the higher rate
VL = Bond’s value for the lower rate
C = Coupon rate of the bond

The cash flow at each node is either :
• VH + C for the higher rate
• VL + C for the lower rate
What is the present value of VH + C ?

What is the present value of VL + C ?

VH + C
1 + r
VL + C
1 + r

VALUE AT NODE
VH + C
1 + r

+

VL + C
1 + r

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2

EXAMPLE
The goal here is to determine wether the 1-year low rate in 1 year r 1,L
used to price the bond is correct
• 2 YEAR BOND
•TRADING AT 100 TODAY
•VOLATILITY =  = 10%
•ANNUAL COUPON = 4%

Step by step process….
Step 1 :

Select a value for r1 , lowest 1-year rate one year from now
Let’s select r1 arbitrarily = 4.5%

Step 2 : Determine the corresponding value for the higher 1-year
forward rate.
(2 *0.10)

r 1,H = 0.045e

= 5.496%

Step 3 :

Compute the bond’s value one year from now
(at maturity for us, therefore 100 + 4 = 104)

Step 4 :

Calculate the bond’s value in step3 using the higher rate
V H = 104/1+0.05496 = 98.585

Step 5 = Calculate the bond’s value in step3 using the lower rate
V L = 104/1+0.045 = 99.522

Step 6 =

Add the coupon to V H and V L to get the cash flow
at N H and N L
V H + C = 102.582
V L + C = 103.522

Step 7 =

Calculate the PV of those 2 values using the root
rate of 3.5%
102.582 / 1.035 = 99.13
103.522 / 1.035 = 100.021

Step 8 =

Calculate the average of the two PV
(99.13 + 100.021 ) / 2 = 99.567

WHAT WAS THE PRICE OF OUR BOND TODAY ?
100
Remember step 1 : lowest 1-year rate one year from now
let’s select r1 = 4.5%

What is needed is to find the exact 1-year forward rate,
one year from now, so that our bond price becomes 100 instead
of 99.567
Will r 1 have to be higher or lower ?

Lower (4.074%)

Next step is to determine the low 1-year rate two years from now.
It needs to be done by trail and error on Excel.
For this, we analyse a 3-year 4 ½ coupon bond that trades at par.
We know from previous calculations that the 1-year, one year from now,
is at 4,074% and that the 1-year rate today is 3,50%.
R1,0 = 3,5%
R1,1 = 4,074%
R1,2 = ?

Vol
Face Value
Coupon

10%

Year

0

1

2

3

100
4,50%

V

100

C

4,50%

Data based on the market

V

97,88497

C

4,50%

YTM

Check

100,00

6,758%

V

98,07298

V

100

C

4,50%

C

4,50%

R

4,976%

V

102,075

V

99,0212

C

4,50%

C

4,50%

R

3,50%

YTM

5,533%

V

99,92529

V

100

C

4,50%

C

4,50%

R

4,074%

V

100

C

4,50%

V

99,9713

C

4,50%

YTM

4,530%

Now that we have all three low rates,
R1,0 = 3,5%
R1,1 = 4,074%
R1,2 = 4,53%

…..it is easy to determine the other rates on the binomial tree
with the formula :
R1,H = R1,Le2∞
And complete the process to determine any 3-year bond price at t0

Valuing a Callable Corporate Bond
Same process as an option free bond except :
•When the call option may be exercised by the issuer
the bond value at the node must be changed to reflect the
lower of its value if it is not called and call price.

The price of an option free bond is the present value of the cash
flows discounted at the spot rates. What is the bond price ?

5.25/1.035

YEAR

ZERO
RATES

COUPON
RATE
(yearly)

Mkt VALUE

1

3.5%

5.25%

100

2

4.01%

5.25%

100

3

4.54%

5.25%

100

+

5.25/(1.0401)2

+

105.25/(1.0454)3 = 102.075

Suppose this same bond is callable at 100 in year 2…..

Any bond valuation above 100 (node NL an NLL) must be called at 100.

Call option = non callable bond – callable bond

102.075 -

101.432 =

0.643

On Bloomberg, when hitting YAS on a bond,
Z-spread is the static spread and OAS, the Option Adjutsted spread).
The option price is Z-spread- OAS

Hope you enjoyed the class !