This paper develops a decentralized theory that determines the fair value of the yield-to-maturity of a bond or bond portfolio based purely on the near-term dynamics of the yield itself. The theory decomposes the yield into three components: its expected change, its risk premium, and its...

We model term structure dynamics using a recursive cascade of heterogeneously persistent factors. The cascade naturally orders the factors by their adjustment speeds, and generates smooth zero-coupon bond prices and forward curves in closed form. For a class of specifications, the number of...