Owning Bonds
So far, we've discussed stocks and the difference between stocks and bonds. However, we haven't elaborated on what bonds are and where they are traded. This section discusses bonds and the bond market. While you read, pay attention to how zero-coupon bonds, differed-coupon bonds, and split-coupon bonds differ. You will learn about municipal bonds, which are a way for governments, states, and municipalities to borrow money. Where are corporate bonds and government bonds traded?
Bond Value
Learning Objectives
- Explain how bond returns are measured.
- Define and describe the relationships between interest rates, bond yields, and bond prices.
- Define and describe the risks that bond investors are exposed to.
- Explain the implications of the three types of yield curves.
- Assess the role of the yield curve in bond investing.
Bond-rating systems do not replace bond analysis, which focuses on bond value. Like any investment, a bond is worth the value of its expected return. That value depends on the amount expected and the certainty of that expectation. To understand bond values, then, is to understand the value of its return and the costs of its risks.
Bonds return two cash flows to their investors: (1) the coupon, or the interest paid at regular intervals, usually twice yearly or yearly, and (2) the repayment of the principal at maturity. The amounts are spelled out in the bond itself. The coupon rate is specified (for a fixed-rate bond) and the face value is the principal to be returned at the stated maturity.
Unlike a stock, for which the cash flows – both the amount and the timing – are "to be determined," in a bond everything about the cash flows is established at the outset. Any bond feature that makes those cash flows less certain increases the risk to the investor and thus the investor's return. If the bond has a floating-rate coupon, for example, then there is uncertainty about the amount of the coupon payments. If the bond is callable, there is uncertainty about the number of coupon payments.
Whatever the particular features of a bond, as debt instruments, bonds expose investors to specific risks. What are those risks, and what is their role is defining expectations of returns?