Author: Gerald R. Brown

Start Page: 337
End Page: 356
Volume: 20
Issue Number: 3
Year: 2000
Publication: Journal of Real Estate Research

Abstract: Duration has long been used as a means of managing the risk of bond portfolios. It has also been extended to the analysis of equities. Although it is often been compared with the half-life of an asset it is more correct to consider duration as the approximate percentage change in price for each one-percent change in yield. Given this view it will be seen that the volatility of an asset and its duration are closely related.

This paper uses the duration of a conventional valuation model to estimate both the volatility and total risk of the each sector of the UK commercial property market relative to the property market as a whole. The approach has potential value in estimating the risk of a new property where historic time series information is either limited on not available. In addition, by drawing a distinction between ex-post and ex-ante measures of risk the paper also estimates the inflation flow through rate for different lease structures.