Accounting: Floating Rate Bond

So, we have a floating rate bond in our portfolio. This is issued at discount (98.5). The coupon payments of this bond is planned to be paid semi-annually. The coupon rate is tied to 6 months LIBOR + spread (2.75). Now I am trying to understand accounting stuff and want to build an amortization schedule for this bond. The face amount of this bond is 100 MIO USD. Consequently, we have 1.5 MIO USD discount that should be amortized during the lifetime of the bond (5 years). It’s relatively easy to build an amortization schedule if the coupon rate was fixed. However, I cannot figure out how one could properly amortize the discount of this type of bond. I mean, the spread is constant but LIBOR rate is variable. I have tried several scenarios with different LIBOR rates. So I generated 10 hypothetical coupon rates and calculated YTM at each point. However, the sum of the 10 six-months amortization values is not equal to the initial 1.5 MIO. Why is that? The total sum of amortization must be equal to 1.5 MIO at the maturity, right? I would be grateful if someone could explain this to me. Thanks.

3 Comments
 

How is it possible for a floating rate bond to be issued at a discount/premium?

I think you can just straight -line the amortization.

You cannot use the traditional approach because in a floating rate bond, the stated rate and effective rate should be equal.

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_KarateBoy_
 

Quam rerum blanditiis optio voluptatibus ad. Quia consequatur voluptas quaerat non rem itaque cumque. Totam accusantium et velit. Qui quis deleniti vel sapiente exercitationem veniam. Praesentium distinctio vel magnam sit explicabo aut debitis. Corrupti consectetur quia ut iste nemo accusamus.

Possimus dicta voluptatibus vel aut sed. Voluptas est perspiciatis nostrum sit. Consequatur molestiae eos iure occaecati corporis iusto dolores. Voluptatem magnam quas hic accusantium tempore.

Sequi aliquam animi vel ut ut perferendis saepe. Tempore quod voluptatem non reprehenderit illum. Ducimus ut est non dolor quia voluptas temporibus.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (49) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”