Question

Suppose a company wants to structure its assets and liabilities such that its equity is unaffected by interest rate risk. To accomplish that objective, which of the following must the company do?
a. The duration of its liabilities must be longer than the duration of its assets.
b. The duration of its liabilities must equal the duration of its assets.
c. The duration of its liabilities must be shorter than the duration of its assets.

Answer 1

Answer: b. The duration of its liabilities must equal the duration of its assets

Explanation:

Since the company wants to structure its assets and liabilities such that its equity is unaffected by interest rate risk, then the duration of its liabilities must equal the duration of its assets.

It should be noted that when the duration of its liabilities is shorter than the duration of its assets, the duration gap is positive and when there's a rise in interest rate, the worth of assets will be affected more.

When duration of its liabilities is longer than the duration of its assets, the duration gap is negative and when there's a rise in interest rate, the worth of liabilities will be affected more.

Finally, when the duration of its liabilities is equal the duration of its assets, its equity is unaffected by interest rate risk.