A 10-year spot rate is the yield-to-maturity on a 10-year zero-coupon security, and is the appropriate discount rate for the year 10 cash flow for a 20-year (or any maturity greater than or equal to 10 years) bond. Spot rates are used to value bonds and to ensure that bond prices eliminate any possibility for arbitrage resulting from buying a coupon security, stripping it of its coupons and principal payment, and reselling the strips as separate zero-coupon securities. The yield to maturity on a 10-year bond is the (complex) average of the spot rates for all its cash flows. |
