问题

问题如下：

Which of Kowalski’s statements regarding the term structure of credit spreads is correct?

选项：

Only Statement 1

Only Statement 2

Both Statement 1 and Statement 2

解释：

A is correct. For investment-grade bonds with the highest credit ratings, credit spreads are extremely low, and credit migration is possible only in one direction given the implied lower bound of zero on credit spreads. As a result, the credit term structure for the most highly rated securities tends to be either flat or slightly upward sloping. Securities with lower credit quality, however, face greater sensitivity to the credit cycle. Credit spreads would decrease, not increase, with the expectation of economic growth. There is a countercyclical relationship between credit spreads and benchmark rates over the business cycle. A strong economic climate is associated with higher benchmark yields but lower credit spreads because the probability of issuers defaulting declines in such good times.