Credit Analysis Models

Free CFA Level II lesson in Fixed Income. 13 min read, ~1,980 words.

Structural (Merton) model: equity is a call option on firm assets; default occurs when assets fall below debt at maturity. Distance to default measures standard deviations from the default threshold, so higher asset volatility lowers DD and raises PD. Reduced-form model: default is a surprise event with hazard rate. Cumulative...

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