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Total Horizon Return

Sum of all return components over the holding period.

Total horizon return combines carry, roll-down, price effect, and reinvestment returns to give the all-in return from holding and selling a bond at the horizon. It's expressed as a percentage of the initial investment (dirty price × notional).

Formula
Total Return=Carry+Roll-Down+Price+Reinvest\text{Total Return} = \text{Carry} + \text{Roll-Down} + \text{Price} + \text{Reinvest}
Variables
R_{total}Total return (% of initial investment)
R_{carry}Carry return from coupon income
R_{rolldown}Roll-down return from aging
R_{price}Price return from yield changes
R_{reinvest}Reinvestment return from coupon compounding
Assumptions
  • Horizon date is before bond maturity
  • Bond is sold at horizon at market price
  • Yield change is a parallel shift
  • Coupons reinvested at specified rate until horizon