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Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 28 No. 3 2004

Effective duration of callable corporate bonds: Theory and evidence

Sudipto Sarkar1; Gwangheon Hong2

1 McMaster University · 2 Saginaw Valley State University

Abstract

This paper computes the effective duration of callable corporate bonds, using a contingent-claims model that incorporates both default risk and call risk. The model generates empirical implications regarding the cross-sectional variation and the firm-specific determinants of duration, and demonstrates that the effect of the call feature is to shorten duration (except for low-grade bonds). The effective duration is also estimated empirically for a large sample of long-term corporate bonds, using monthly bond price and interest rate data. Cross-sectional regression analysis is used to test the empirical implications of the model regarding the determinants of effective duration, and the empirical results are quite supportive of the model’s predictions.

DOI
10.1016/s0378-4266(02)00411-9
Volume
28
Issue
3
Pages
499-521
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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