Investment

A bond’s price might change in the secondary market. The yield, current interest rates, and the bond’s rating are the most important aspects that influence the price of a bond. The present value of a bond’s cash flows, which are equal to the principal amount plus all remaining coupons, is the yield. In the secondary […]

Stocks provide ownership of a company as well as a share of any cash dividends (‘Dividends’). Bonds allow you to participate in lending to a business but do not give you ownership. Instead, the buyer of a Bond receives periodic payments of Interest and Principal. What’s the difference between stocks and corporate bonds? Stocks and […]

Bond price quotes are expressed as a percentage of the bond’s par value, which is transformed to a numeric number and then multiplied by 10 to calculate the cost per bond. Bond prices can be stated as fractions as well. Why is it that bonds are quoted in 32nds? Because the market is broader and […]

Bond ratings are assigned letters ranging from “AAA” to “D,” with “AAA” being the highest and “D” being the lowest. Different rating systems employ the same letter grades but differentiate themselves by using different combinations of upper- and lower-case letters and modifiers. What factors go into determining a bond’s rating? When generating a rating score […]

Bond issuers are often examined by their own set of rating organizations to gauge their creditworthiness, just as people have their own credit report and rating published by credit bureaus. Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch are the three main rating organizations that assess the creditworthiness of bonds. Their assessment of the issuer’s creditworthiness—in other […]

Simply defined, those who purchase such bonds are lending money to the issuer for a set length of time. How does a bond get repaid? A bond is just a debt that a firm takes out. Rather than going to a bank, the company obtains funds from investors who purchase its bonds. The corporation pays […]

The corporation is a borrower because it is a bond issuer. As a result, the act of issuing the bond results in the creation of a liability. Bonds payable are thus recorded on the liability side of a company’s balance sheet. Bonds payable are typically classified as non-current liabilities. In accounting, how do you record […]

After they are issued, bonds can be bought and sold in the “secondary market.” While some bonds are traded on exchanges, the majority are exchanged over-the-counter between huge broker-dealers operating on behalf of their clients or on their own. As a result, the yield is calculated using both the bond’s purchase price and the coupon. […]

After they are issued, bonds can be bought and sold in the “secondary market.” While some bonds are traded on exchanges, the majority are exchanged over-the-counter between huge broker-dealers operating on behalf of their clients or themselves. The secondary market value of a bond is determined by its price and yield. On the secondary market, […]

The majority of bonds are taxed. Only municipal bonds (bonds issued by local and state governments) are generally tax-exempt, and even then, special rules may apply. If you redeem a bond before its maturity date, you must pay tax on both interest and capital gains. Is bond interest taxable? Federal income from state, city, and […]