DURATION

See Also

Returns the Macauley duration for an assumed par value of $100. Duration is defined as the weighted average of the present value of the cash flows and is used as a measure of a bond price's response to changes in yield.

If this function is not available, and returns the #NAME? error, install and load the Analysis ToolPak add-in.

How?

On the Tools menu, click Add-Ins.
In the Add-Ins available list, select the Analysis ToolPak box, and then click OK.
If necessary, follow the instructions in the setup program.

Syntax

DURATION(settlement,maturity,coupon,yld,frequency,basis)

Important Dates should be entered by using the DATE function, or as results of other formulas or functions. For example, use DATE(2008,5,23) for the 23rd day of May, 2008. Problems can occur if dates are entered as text.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date after the issue date when the security is traded to the buyer.

Maturity is the security's maturity date. The maturity date is the date when the security expires.

Coupon is the security's annual coupon rate.

Yld is the security's annual yield.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency = 1; for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

Basis is the type of day count basis to use.

Basis	Day count basis
0 or omitted	US (NASD) 30/360
1	Actual/actual
2	Actual/360
3	Actual/365
4	European 30/360

Remarks

Microsoft Excel stores dates as sequential serial numbers so they can be used in calculations. By default, January 1, 1900 is serial number 1, and January 1, 2008 is serial number 39448 because it is 39,448 days after January 1, 1900. Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh uses a different date system as its default.
The settlement date is the date a buyer purchases a coupon, such as a bond. The maturity date is the date when a coupon expires. For example, suppose a 30-year bond is issued on January 1, 2008, and is purchased by a buyer six months later. The issue date would be January 1, 2008, the settlement date would be July 1, 2008, and the maturity date would be January 1, 2038, which is 30 years after the January 1, 2008, issue date.
Settlement, maturity, frequency, and basis are truncated to integers.
If settlement or maturity is not a valid date, DURATION returns the #VALUE! error value.
If coupon < 0 or if yld < 0, DURATION returns the #NUM! error value.
If frequency is any number other than 1, 2, or 4, DURATION returns the #NUM! error value.
If basis < 0 or if basis > 4, DURATION returns the #NUM! error value.
If settlement ≥ maturity, DURATION returns the #NUM! error value.

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How?

Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
Select the example in the Help topic. Do not select the row or column headers.

Selecting an example from Help
Press CTRL+C.
In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Tools menu, point to Formula Auditing, and then click Formula Auditing Mode.

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A	B
Data	Description
January 1, 2008	Settlement date
January 1, 2016	Maturity date
8%	Percent coupon
9.0%	Percent yield
2	Frequency is semiannual (see above)
1	Actual/actual basis (see above)
Formula	Description (Result)
=DURATION(A2,A3,A4,A5,A6,A7)	The duration, for the bond with the terms above (5.993775)