Inverse floater

Refers to a debt security whose value increases as interest rates rise, i.e. there is a direct price-yield relationship rather than the usual inverse price-yield relationship. In this context, one example of an inverse floater is an IO, the interest-only component of an MBS strip. As interest rates rise, people are less likely to refinance their mortgages, meaning the existing principal in a mortgage pool is more likely to remain intact. In turn, the cash flows on the IOs are more likely to continue. Therefore, as interest rates rise, the IO becomes more valuable, and so its price rises..