What's a Bond?

Here's an introductory piece that I thought a lot of people would be interested in. The article simply defines what a bond is, how they work, etc. The overview:

A bond is essentially a long-term loan. If a company issues bonds, it's borrowing cash and promising to pay it back at a certain rate of interest.

Now, the details:
 
Bonds sold by the U.S. government's Treasury Department are called "Treasuries." State and local governments issue "municipal bonds," while businesses issue "corporate bonds" (sometimes called corporate "paper"). Companies that may be perceived as low-quality are forced to offer high-interest-rate "junk" bonds to attract buyers. There's a higher risk that someday they won't have the cash to cover interest payments and the bonds will default.

Bond investors receive regular interest payments from the issuer at what is called the "coupon rate." For example, a $1,000 bond with a coupon rate of 10% generates payments of $100 per year. When the bond matures -- after perhaps five, 10, or 30 years -- investors get back their initial loan, called "par value." Most corporate bonds have a par value of $1,000, while government bonds can run much higher.

Sometimes a company will "call" its bond, paying back the principal early. All bonds specify whether and how soon they can be called. Federal government bonds are never called.

To calculate a bond's yield, divide the amount of interest it will pay over the course of a year by its current price. If a $1,000 bond pays $75 a year in interest, its current yield is $75 divided by $1,000, or 7.5%.

Once issued, bonds can be traded among investors, with their prices rising and falling in reaction to changing interest rates. For example, when rates fall, people bid up bond prices. If banks are offering 6%, an 8% bond starts looking good.

In the long run, stocks have outperformed bonds handily. According to Jeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run, from 1802 to 2001 (yes, you read that right -- about 200 years), the stock market offered an average nominal annual return of 8.3% per year, compared with 4.9% for long-term government bonds.

The article has a bit more on bonds (plus a few links to even more information), so if you want to know more about this investment option, simply click through.

Comments

[heya]

thank you, i really understand now.

[Gabrielle]

Ditto comment no. 1 -- straightforward, clear, concise!