Reinvestment Risk

Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Reinvestment Risk'

The risk that future coupons from a bond will not be reinvested at the prevailing interest rate when the bond was initially purchased. Reinvestment risk is more likely when interest rates are declining. Reinvestment risk affects the yield-to-maturity of a bond, which is calculated on the premise that all future coupon payments will be reinvested at the interest rate in effect when the bond was first purchased. Zero coupon bonds are the only fixed-income instruments to have no reinvestment risk, since they have no interim coupon payments.  
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Reinvestment Risk'

Two factors that have a bearing on the degree of reinvestment risk are:

Maturity of the bond - The longer the maturity of the bond, the higher the likelihood that interest rates will be lower than they were at the time of the bond purchase.

Interest rate on the bond - The higher the interest rate, the bigger the coupon payments that have to be reinvested, and consequently the reinvestment risk.

Related Definitions

  • Bond

    A debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity (corporate or governmental) that borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a fixed interest rate. Bonds are used ...
    Read More »
  • Yield To Maturity - YTM

    The rate of return anticipated on a bond if it is held until the maturity date. YTM is considered a long-term bond yield expressed as an annual rate. The calculation of YTM takes into ...
    Read More »
  • Zero-Coupon Bond

    A debt security that doesn't pay interest (a coupon) but is traded at a deep discount, rendering profit at maturity when the bond is redeemed for its full face value. Also known as an ...
    Read More »
    • Income Risk

      The risk that the income stream paid by a fund will decrease in response to a drop in interest rates. This risk is most prevalent in money market and other short-term income fund ...
      Read More »
    • Liquidity Risk

      The risk stemming from the lack of marketability of an investment that cannot be bought or sold quickly enough to prevent or minimize a loss.
      Read More »
    • Political Risk

      The risk that an investment's returns could suffer as a result of political changes or instability in a country. Instability affecting investment returns could stem from a change in ...
      Read More »
    • Risk-Return Tradeoff

      The principle that potential return rises with an increase in risk. Low levels of uncertainty (low risk) are associated with low potential returns, whereas high levels of uncertainty ...
      Read More »
    • Coupon

      The interest rate stated on a bond when it's issued. The coupon is typically paid semiannually. This is also referred to as the "coupon rate" or "coupon percent rate".
      Read More »

Articles Of Interest

Partner Links