Constant Bond Portfolio Duration Question - Treasuries

D

drenaud

I apologize up front if this is not the appropriate forum to post this question.


If I wanted to maintain a bond portfolio that had an approximate constant 5 year duration I assume that I could start an opening position by buying bonds with about 5 years left to maturity.

When a new year rolls around I now have bonds that has 4 years to maturity. I could sell them and purchase 5 year to maturity bonds and start over. But I wonder If I purchase a bond with 6 years to maturity that will give me an average maturity of 5 years. Will this roughly approximate the price sensitivity If I just had all 5 years to maturity bonds?

In another words 1 bond with 4 years to maturity and 1 bond with 6 years to maturity does it roughly act like 1 bond with a 5 years to maturity?

Assuming this is correct could each year I just add longer maturity dates and use a weighted average to get me to an approximate 5 year duration?


I don't need this to be mathematically perfect. I just want it to be a reasonable approximation.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
what about plotting charts of ( 1 year + 6 years) vs ( 5 years)
Then you could plot these by modifying the coefficient for (5 years)
 
This is perfect. Great find. This helped me sort this question out.

Thanks for all the answers and ideas the others posted as well.
 
Then give me a "like", Barron pays me per post.

Additionally, you may start experimenting with zero coupon bonds/strips to tweak your duration. It would just be too volatile to hold individually.

One of my ideas is that if we have a yield run up like the 70's where yields go to +10% or +15%, I just put it all in zeroes/strips and retire to Micronesia...
 
you gotta have a lotta money for any of this to make much difference nowadays

more money than I got

my bond money is in cash and I'm happier than a pig in shit
 
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