Optimal Bond Trading with Personal Taxes: Implications for Bond Prices and Estimated Tax Brackets and Yield Curves

58 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2004 Last revised: 28 Sep 2022

See all articles by George M. Constantinides

George M. Constantinides

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Jonathan E. Ingersoll

Yale School of Management - International Center for Finance

Date Written: August 1983

Abstract

The assumption that bondholders follow either a buy-and-hold or a continuous realization trading policy, rather than the optimal trading policy,is at variance with reality and, as we demonstrate, may seriously bias the estimation of the yield curve and the implied tax bracket of the marginal investor. Tax considerations which govern a bondholder's optimal trading policy include the following: realization of capital losses, short term if possible; deferment of the realization of capital gains, especially if they are short term; changing the holding period status from long term to short term by sale of the bond and repurchase, so that future capital losses may be realized short term; and raising the basis through sale of the bond and repurchase in order to deduct from ordinary income the amortized premium. Because of the interaction of these factors, no simple characterization of the optimal trading policy is possible. We can say, however, that it differs substantially from the buy-and-hold policy irrespective of whether the bondholder is a bank, a bond dealer, or an individual. We obtain these strong results even when we allow for transactions costs and explicitly consider numerous IRS regulations designed to curtail tax avoidance.

Suggested Citation

Constantinides, George M. and Ingersoll, Jonathan E., Optimal Bond Trading with Personal Taxes: Implications for Bond Prices and Estimated Tax Brackets and Yield Curves (August 1983). NBER Working Paper No. w1184, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=305564

George M. Constantinides (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States
773-702-7258 (Phone)
773-752-0458 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Jonathan E. Ingersoll

Yale School of Management - International Center for Finance ( email )

135 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States
203-432-5924 (Phone)
203-432-6974 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
63
Abstract Views
1,380
Rank
627,735
PlumX Metrics