Fixed Income Performance Attribution

edm anti-folk, ambient techno chanson, southern rock calypso, ambient house 16-bit · 4:24

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Portfolio manager Sarah holds a billion in bonds
Client wants to know why returns went beyond
Benchmark performance by forty basis points
Time to dissect each contributing joint
Duration risk shifted when rates took a dive
Credit spreads tightened, kept profits alive
But attribution shows the deeper tale
Of every decision that made returns sail

[Chorus]
Break it down, break it down
Duration, credit, curve around
D-C-C, the holy three
Fixed income attribution key
Duration moves with interest rates
Credit spreads determine fates
Curve positioning seals the deal
Make those portfolio effects real

[Verse 2]
Duration measures price sensitivity
When ten-year treasuries move dramatically
If rates drop one percent, duration of four
Means bond prices jump four percent or more
Manager went long duration last spring
Predicted rate cuts, made the portfolio sing
But if rates had climbed instead of fell
That same position would have hurt like hell

[Chorus]
Break it down, break it down
Duration, credit, curve around
D-C-C, the holy three
Fixed income attribution key
Duration moves with interest rates
Credit spreads determine fates
Curve positioning seals the deal
Make those portfolio effects real

[Verse 3]
Credit spreads measure default fear premium
Corporate bonds over treasury plenum
When economy strengthens, spreads compress tight
High-yield corporates take profitable flight
Sarah overweighted investment grade
While junk bonds rallied in the market parade
Credit attribution shows she missed the boat
Should have trusted that risk-on vote

[Bridge]
Yield curve twisting, steepening, flat
Short rates versus long, imagine that
Bullet bonds versus laddered maturities
Barbell strategy or concentrated securities
Each positioning choice affects the return
Attribution analysis helps managers learn

[Chorus]
Break it down, break it down
Duration, credit, curve around
D-C-C, the holy three
Fixed income attribution key
Duration moves with interest rates
Credit spreads determine fates
Curve positioning seals the deal
Make those portfolio effects real

[Outro]
Sum up all effects to reconcile the gap
Between benchmark returns and portfolio's map
Duration, credit, curve - the attribution dance
Turns performance mystery into finance

← Brinson Model for Equity Attribution | GIPS Standards for Performance Reporting →