bond (2024)

A bond refers to an obligation to pay a specified amount of money.

  • In the field of business, a bond functions similar to a loan and is sold by entities seeking an inflow of cash now in exchange for the promise of future interest on that cash later. Corporations often sell bonds to raise money which they can then invest in new projects or initiatives with the hope that the revenue from those new projects is greater than the amount of interest they owe on the bonds. Bond purchasers agree to wait a specified number of years, known as the maturity date, before recollecting the money they initially used to purchase the bond. In the meantime, bond purchasers collect the promised interest payments, known as coupon payments, at regular intervals.
    • Governments also regularly sell bonds to raise money for the purposes of funding government initiatives. In the United States, government issued bonds are known as treasury bonds. Because the risk of the United States going bankrupt is miniscule, treasury bonds are generally deemed less risky, and therefore have lower interest rates, than other kinds of bonds.
    • Much like stocks, there is a robust secondary market for both corporate and treasury bonds.
  • In the field of criminal law, on the other hand, a bond refers to a sum of money offered up by a party to secure the performance of some legal duty. The most common kind of bond in criminal law is the bail bond. For a bail bond, a defendant offers up money in exchange for their release from custody while they await trial. This money is returned if the defendant appears for their trial. If the defendant does not appear, they are considered to have jumped bail.

[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]

bond (2024)

FAQs

Why would you wish to hold a bond in your portfolio? ›

Many investors include bonds in their portfolio as a source of diversification to help reduce volatility and overall portfolio risk. The chart below shows the historical volatility of different asset classes – including bonds and stocks – over recent decades.

What's the best explanation of a bond? ›

Bonds are investment securities where an investor lends money to a company or a government for a set period of time, in exchange for regular interest payments. Once the bond reaches maturity, the bond issuer returns the investor's money.

What do you mean by bond? ›

A bond represents a promise by a borrower to pay a lender their principal and usually interest on a loan. Bonds are issued by governments, municipalities, and corporations.

How much bond should I hold? ›

There are many adages to help you determine how to allocate stocks and bonds in your portfolio. One says that the percentage of stocks in your portfolio should equal 100 minus your age. So, if you're 30, such a portfolio would contain 70% stocks and 30% bonds (or other safe investments).

Will bond funds recover in 2024? ›

As for fixed income, we expect a strong bounce-back year to play out over the course of 2024. When bond yields are high, the income earned is often enough to offset most price fluctuations. In fact, for the 10-year Treasury to deliver a negative return in 2024, the yield would have to rise to 5.3 percent.

Is it OK not to have bonds in your portfolio? ›

In addition to providing a predictable source of income, bonds can also help balance risk and protect a portfolio when stock markets are moving downwards. Ultimately, holding bonds in a portfolio can help with diversification.

Why would I want a bond? ›

Interest rates on bonds often tend to be higher than savings rates at banks, on CDs, or in money market accounts. Bonds also tend to perform well when stocks are declining, as interest rates fall and bond prices rise in turn.

What are the pros and cons of bonds? ›

Con: You could lose out on major returns by only investing in bonds.
ProsCons
Can offer a stream of incomeExposes investors to credit and default risk
Can help diversify an investment portfolio and mitigate investment riskTypically generate lower returns than other investments
1 more row

Which bond is the strongest explain your answer? ›

Ionic bond: Ionic bonds are the strongest bonds because these are formed due to the electrostatic attraction of an electron from one atom to another. Covalent bond: These are also considered the strongest bond but not as much as an ionic bond, and these bonds are formed when the atoms share the pairs of electrons.

What is a bond in love? ›

A romantic attachment (also called pair-bonding) is a deep emotional bond to another individual. The tendency to form a deep emotional bond to another individual is a universal feature of human life. The attachments you form to your romantic partners are designed by evolution to keep you together.

What is bond in relationships? ›

A bond between people is a close link between them, for example feelings of love, or a special agreement.

Does bond mean love? ›

Bonding typically refers to the process of attachment that develops between romantic or platonic partners, close friends, or parents and children. This bond is characterised by emotions such as affection and trust. Any two people who spend time together may form a bond.

Are bonds worth it? ›

Depending on the inflation rate, I-bonds can offer returns that are significantly higher than those of other low-risk investments like certificates of deposit (CDs) or high-yield savings accounts. I-bonds are also attractive because investors bear almost no risk of losing their principal.

How much money do I need to invest to make $1000 a month? ›

A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.

How much should you pay for a $1000 bond? ›

A $1,000 bail bond paid at a bail bonds company will cost $100. This is often the base fee for posting bail on the lowest amount. Bonds that will not net the bail bonds company at least $100 in interest will often earn a minimum payment of $100 or 10% of the total bond.

Why would you want a bond? ›

Why buy bonds? Bonds are issued by governments and corporations when they want to raise money. By buying a bond, you're giving the issuer a loan, and they agree to pay you back the face value of the loan on a specific date, and to pay you periodic interest payments along the way, usually twice a year.

Why is it good to have a bond? ›

Because bond issuers are repaying debt over time, bonds can also provide steady income, which can be a real benefit if you're looking for a predictable stream of money—for instance, to help with living expenses in retirement. Municipal bonds can even provide a tax-free income stream.

What is reason for investing in bond? ›

Investors buy bonds because: They provide a predictable income stream. Typically, bonds pay interest on a regular schedule, such as every six months. If the bonds are held to maturity, bondholders get back the entire principal, so bonds are a way to preserve capital while investing.

Why would an investor put a bond? ›

A put bond is a debt instrument with an embedded option that gives bondholders the right to demand early repayment of the principal from the issuer. The embedded put option acts an incentive for investors to buy a bond that has a lower return.

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