EBSCN·2025-11-06 14:22Core Insights - The report predicts changes in the yield curve using the Nelson-Siegel model, which describes the curve's dynamics through three factors: level, slope, and curvature [3][29]. - An improvement in the model for predicting the level factor has been made by incorporating policy rates, market benchmark rates, slope, and curvature factors, which enhances the predictive accuracy [4][56]. - The duration rotation strategy based on yield curve predictions shows robust performance, consistently outperforming benchmarks and achieving significant excess returns [5][91]. Duration Rotation Strategy - The latest signal from the duration rotation strategy, as of October 31, 2025, indicates a strong preference for long-duration interest rate bonds, with a signal value of 10 [6][96]. - The strategy is designed to capitalize on the natural "risk-return-liquidity" trade-offs present in different maturity bonds, where short-term bonds offer lower duration and volatility but higher reinvestment risk, while long-term bonds provide higher coupon protection but are more exposed to interest rate risk [10][14]. Yield Curve Construction - The report establishes the yield curve using historical spot rate data from 2006 to 2025, showing that the average yield curve is monotonically upward over the entire period [21][22]. - Principal component analysis of historical spot rates reveals three main components that represent the level, slope, and curvature of the yield curve, providing insights into its dynamics [26][41]. Statistical Characteristics of Spot Rates - The statistical characteristics of spot rates indicate that as the maturity increases, the mean yield rises while volatility decreases, with the average yield curve showing a consistent upward trend [21][22]. - The report provides detailed statistics on various maturities, including total returns, annualized returns, annualized volatility, Sharpe ratios, and maximum drawdowns, highlighting the performance of different maturity segments [12][95]. Model Improvements - The report discusses enhancements to the predictive model for the level factor by integrating external variables such as policy rates and market rates, which have shown to improve the direction prediction accuracy [56][62]. - The introduction of additional factors, including slope and curvature, aims to refine predictions during periods of yield curve inversion, thereby increasing the model's robustness [70][75]. Backtesting Results - Backtesting results demonstrate that the improved duration rotation strategy yields a total return of 110.37% over the evaluation period, significantly outperforming various maturity indices and equal-weighted indices [91][95]. - The strategy's maximum drawdown is reported at 5.36%, which is lower than the maximum drawdown of 7.23% for the 7-10 year index, indicating a more stable performance [95].