The Maturity of Debt Issues and Predictable Variation in Bond Returns
Posted: 9 Sep 2002 Last revised: 13 Aug 2008
There are 5 versions of this paper
The Maturity of Debt Issues and Predictable Variation in Bond Returns
Do Firms Borrow at the Lowest-Cost Maturity? The Long-Term Share in Debt Issues and Predictable Variation in Bond Returns
The Maturity of Debt Issues and Predictable Variation in Bond Returns
The Maturity of Debt Issues and Predictable Variation in Bond Returns
Abstract
The maturity of new debt issues predicts excess bond returns. When the share of long-term debt issues in total debt issues is high, future excess bond returns are low. This predictive power comes in two parts. First, inflation, the real short-term rate, and the term spread predict excess bond returns. Second, these same variables explain the long-term share, and together account for much of its own ability to predict excess bond returns. The results are consistent with survey evidence that firms use debt market conditions in an effort to determine the lowest-cost maturity at which to borrow.
Keywords: bond, maturity, return, corporate, debt, issue, predictability, cost of capital, cost of debt
JEL Classification: G32, G12, E43
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation