Schedule, Yield-to-Maturity, and NPV of Fixed Rate Bond from QuantLib Python

Question

I would like to price a fixed rate bond using QuantLib Python.

The pricing is fine, however I would like to understand how to extract the Yield-to-Maturity (YTM) of the fixed rate bond, that is, the yield that will sum the discounted cash flows equal to the bond's Net Present Value (NPV).

Below are my codes:

import QuantLib as ql

valuationDate = ql.Date(31, 7, 2020)
ql.Settings.instance().evaluationDate = valuationDate
compounding = ql.Compounded
calendar = ql.UnitedStates()
coupon = 0.05
couponFrequency = ql.Semiannual
issueDate = ql.Date(28, 9, 2019)
maturityDate = ql.Date(28, 9, 2024)
settlementDays = 100
settlementDate = calendar.advance(valuationDate, ql.Period(settlementDays, ql.Days))
businessConvention = ql.Following

schedule = ql.Schedule(valuationDate, maturityDate, ql.Period(couponFrequency), calendar, businessConvention, businessConvention, ql.DateGeneration.Forward, True)
dayCount = ql.Actual360()

faceValue = 100
redemptionValue = 100

fixedRateBond = ql.FixedRateBond(settlementDays, faceValue, schedule, [coupon], ql.ActualActual(ql.ActualActual.ISMA, schedule), businessConvention, redemptionValue)
curve = ql.ZeroCurve([ql.Date(31, 7, 2020), ql.Date(1, 1, 2027)], [0.01, 0.02], ql.Actual360(), calendar, ql.Linear(), compounding, ql.Annual)
handle = ql.YieldTermStructureHandle(curve)
bondEngine = ql.DiscountingBondEngine(handle)
fixedRateBond.setPricingEngine(bondEngine)

print('QuantLib NPV:', fixedRateBond.NPV())
print('QuantLib Dirty Price:', fixedRateBond.dirtyPrice())
print('QuantLib Clean Price:', fixedRateBond.cleanPrice())
print('QuantLib Accrued Amount:', fixedRateBond.accruedAmount(), '\n')

yield_rate = fixedRateBond.bondYield(fixedRateBond.NPV(), dayCount, ql.Compounded, ql.Annual, valuationDate, 1.0e-16, 100) 
print('YTM:', yield_rate)
recalculated_NPV = fixedRateBond.dirtyPrice(yield_rate, dayCount, ql.Compounded, ql.Annual, valuationDate)
print('Recalculated NPV:', recalculated_NPV)
diff = fixedRateBond.NPV() - recalculated_NPV
print(f'Difference:{diff:20.16f}')

Below are my results:

QuantLib NPV: 113.46249924298792

QuantLib Dirty Price: 113.94963596997535

QuantLib Clean Price: 111.94414146448085

QuantLib Accrued Amount: 2.0054945054944984

YTM: 0.01627100678079127

Recalculated NPV: 113.462499242988

Difference: -0.0000000000000853

I have managed to obtain a yield which is mathematically correct with a very small difference of -0.0000000000000853, however I am not sure if the coding is correct and if it will work in all circumstances.

Also, is my schedule correct please? In several posts, I saw that the schedule starts with the issueDate. However, when I start my schedule with the issueDate, it increases the difference obtained above.

Can someone please help?