Inflation – Indexed Bonds and Derivatives

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to index-linked securities, including inflation-indexed securities such as TIPS issued by the U.S. government and index-linked gilts issued by the UK government. Basic concepts of bond purpose and design are described in summary, followed by a detailed look at inflation-linked bond yield analysis. This then enables us to look at the concept of the inflation term structure. The second half of the chapter considers inflation-linked derivatives such as inflation-linked bond swaps, year-on-year inflation swaps, and real annuity swaps, together with a look at the use of inflation derivatives for hedging purposes. This includes hedging pension liabilities and restructuring bond portfolios. We then review constructing the inflation term structure and pricing inflation derivatives.