The risk that bond prices will decline due to rising interest rates, with longer-duration bonds experiencing greater price sensitivity to interest rate changes. Duration measures this price sensitivity as a percentage change per 1% interest rate move.
From Latin 'durare' meaning 'to last' or 'endure,' combined with the concept of financial risk. The term emerged from bond mathematics developed in the early 20th century to quantify interest rate sensitivity.
Duration risk is why long-term bonds can be more dangerous than they appear - a 1% interest rate increase can cause a 20-year bond to lose 15% of its value overnight! It's the hidden volatility in 'safe' government bonds that catches conservative investors off guard when rates rise.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.