Browse Investing

Convexity and Yield Curve Risk

Fixed-income terms for convexity, negative convexity, and yield-curve risk.

Convexity and yield curve risk terms describe how bond price sensitivity changes as yields move and as different parts of the curve shift differently.

Use this branch when duration alone is not enough to explain price behavior.

Key Terms in This Branch

TermWhat it clarifies
ConvexityHow duration changes as yields move.
Negative ConvexityPrice behavior often associated with callable or prepayable bonds.
Yield Curve RiskRisk that different maturity points on the curve move differently.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating convexity as always beneficial.
  • Ignoring negative convexity in callable and mortgage-related bonds.
  • Assuming a parallel curve shift is the only rate scenario.
  • Comparing convexity without checking price, yield, and option assumptions.

In this section

Choose a subsection first. Deeper term pages live inside each subsection, which keeps large topic hubs readable.

Convexity

Convexity measures curvature in the bond price-yield relationship and refines duration-based rate-risk estimates.

Negative Convexity

Negative convexity is unfavorable bond price-yield curvature where upside is constrained as yields fall, often because calls or prepayments become more likely.

Yield Curve Risk

Yield curve risk is fixed-income risk from nonparallel changes in the level, slope, or shape of the yield curve.

Revised on Sunday, June 21, 2026