Duration gap

The duration gap is the difference between the duration of assets and liabilities.

Example The duration gap tells how cash flows for assets and liabilities are matched. A positive duration gap is when the duration of assets exceeds the duration of liabilities (which means greater exposure to rising interest rates). If rates go up by 1% the price of assets fall more than the price of liabilities. A negative duration gap is when the duration of assets is less than the duration of liabilities (which means greater exposure to declining interest rates). If rates go down by 1% the price of assets goes up less than the price of liabilities.