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The interest rate yo-yo has impacted most of us. Interest rates have been volatile in the past few
years. Riding this Interest rate roller-coaster can be a nerve-racking experience. At times
enjoyable and at times distressing. In times when interest rates were going down, one benefited
from cheaper loans but lost out on lower returns on investments. Conversely when interest rates
stiffened, one benefited from higher rates on fixed rate investments but lost out on dearer loans.
A fixed interest rate loan has the advantage of clearly defining the total loan obligation, but in
case of a fall in interest rates, a fixed rate loan may result in a higher debt service obligation. On
the other hand, a floating rate loan allows you to take advantage of interest rate movements. The
interest rate in such loans is linked to a benchmark generally the internal prime- lending rate.
This is adjusted periodically in relation to market movements.
Thus a floating rate loan denies you the knowledge of the total loan obligation but ensures that
you reap benefits in case of fall in interest rates. So quite clearly floating rate loans work best to
your advantage at time when interest rates are falling.
Quite similarly a Floating Rate instrument is a debt instrument whose interest rate (coupon) is
not fixed and is linked to a benchmark rate and is adjusted periodically.
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A benchmark or a reference rate is a rate that is an accurate measure of the market price. In the
fixed income market, it is an interest rate that the market respects and closely watches. A
benchmark rate should be from an unbiased source, be representative of the market, transparent,
reliable and continuously available and most importantly be widely acceptable to the market as
the benchmark rate
Such benchmark rates issued by unbiased sources are the Treasury Bill T-Bill) rate issued by the
Government of India, the bank rate as decided by the Reserve Bank of India, the Mumbai
Interbank Offering Rate (MIBOR) released by the National Stock Exchange of India and GOI
Securities.
A company issues debentures at 1 year GOI Security yield +100 basis points (simply 1%) with a
tenor of 5 years, periodically reset every six months. If the1 year GOI security is currently ruling
at 5.75%, the interest rate that is fixed for the first six months is 5.75% +1%=6.75%.
In a rising interest rate scenario, the interest rate on a Floating Rate instrument is periodically
reset to a higher level due to the fact that accompanying benchmark rate is anyway at a higher
level. On account of this periodic reset the difference in returns between a floating rate fund and
a security that is issued currently is marginal. So the price difference is marginal leading to a
marginal impact on the NAV.
A fixed for floating interest rate swap is an exchange of a series of fixed interest payments for a
series of floating interest payments, fluctuating with the benchmark.
Fund A and Bank B enter into an IRS agreement where in Fund A pays Bank B a fixed rate of
7.25%p.a. for three months and receives NSE MIBOR (benchmark floating rate) from Bank A
for the next 3 months on a notional principal of Rs. 10 Cr.
Introduction A bond is a long term debt obligation. It is sold by the borrower who is called the
"issuer" in order to borrow money for the medium and long term. Typically a bond will have a
maturity of between 2 and 20 years. The issuer can be a bank, company or government
institution. A bond normally has a known maturity or redemption date and during its life pays the
investor interest. The interest payments are called "coupons". Bond investors rank prior to equity
holders in liquidation but are subordinate to secured lenders. From an issuer's perspective the
coupons are usually tax deductible (unlike dividend payments on equity). Bond markets provide
investors with variety. One of the most frequently issued bonds is called a floating rate note.