Discount Yield

Discount yield is a measure of a bond's percentage return. Discount yield is most frequently used to calculate the yield on short-term bonds and treasury bills sold at a discount. This yield calculation uses a 30-day month and 360-day year to simplify calculations. Discount yield is calculated by the following formula:

Discount Yield = [(par value - purchase price)/par value] * [360/days to maturity]




|||The 30/360 simplification used in discount yield means that the discount yield figure is a slightly inaccurate measure of an investor's true return on investment. Although more accurate measures of yield are available, discount yield is still used as a matter of convention within the short-term bond and treasury bill world. This may be partially due to the fact that the yield on U.S. Treasury Bills is most commonly quoted as a discount yield.