Fixed Income Flashcards
A series of interest payments in fixed amounts and to repay the principal amount at maturity, is more commonly known as…?
A bond
What is the relationship between bond yields and underlying prices?
They have an inverse relationship
What are the five specific features of a bond?
Currency in which payments will be made. Coupon rate and frequency. The par value (principal value to be repaid). The maturity date of the bond. The issuer of the bond.
Who typically issue bonds?
Corporations Sovereign national governments Non-sovereign governments Quasi-government entities Supranational entities
What is the difference between the maturity date and the term/tenor of a bond?
Maturity date of a bond is the date on which the principal is to be repaid
Term to maturity or tenor of a bond: time remaining until maturity
Principal amount that will be repaid at maturity, is called the…
Par value
Bonds with no maturity date. Require perpetual interest repayments but no principal payment, are known as…?
Perpetual bonds
What is the difference between a money market and a capital market security?
Money market securities: Bonds with initial maturities of < 1 year
Capital market securities: Bonds with initial maturities of > 1 year
A bond that makes coupon interest payments in one currency and the principal repayment at maturity in another currency, is called a…?
Dual currency bond
A bond that gives bondholders a choice of which of two currencies they would like to receive their payments in, is called a…?
Currency option bond
What is a bond that is trading at a premium?
A bond that is selling for more than its par value is said to be trading at a premium to par
A bond whose periodic payments are all equal is said to have what sort of structure?
Amortising structure
How do fixed income securities define short term, medium term and long term?
Short term = < 5 years
Medium term = 5-12 years
Long term = > 12 years
What is a company that exhibits a “top-heavy” debt structure?
Most of the companies debt is made up of secured bank debt
The legal contract agreed between the bondholder and the issuer, is called a…?
Bond indenture
What is a negative covenant?
Prohibitions on the borrower
What is an affirmative covenant?
Actions the borrower promises to perform
What are some examples of affirmative covenants?
make timely interest and principal payments to bondholders,
to insure and maintain assets, and
to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
What is the difference between domestic and foreign bonds?
Domestic bonds: Bonds issued by a firm domiciled in country A and also traded in that country A’s currency
Foreign bonds: Bonds issued by a firm incorporated in a foreign country that trade on the national bond market of another country in that country’s currency
A bond market that contains both domestic and foreign bonds, is known as what sort of market?
A national bond market
What are yankee bonds, eurobonds and global bonds?
Yankee bonds: bonds issued by non-US entities that trade in the US and are denominated in US dollars
Eurobonds are issued outside the jurisdiction of any one country and denominated in a currency different from the currency of the countries in which they are sold
Global Bonds: Eurobonds that also trade in a domestic market
What is the difference between unsecured and secured bonds?
Unsecured Bonds: Holder has a claim to all of the issuers total assets
Secured Bonds: Holder has a claim to specific assets the issuer has pledged as collateral
Why does a company form an SPV?
A parent company creates an SPV to isolate or securitise assets in a separate company that is often kept off the balance sheet
What are covered bonds?
Covered bonds Similar to ABS’ but remain on the balance sheet of the issuing corporation (i.e., no SPE is created)
What is a balloon payment?
Balloon payment: The final interest payment and principal payment combined
What is a fully amortising bond?
Fully amortising: the principal is fully paid off when the last periodic payment is made. Equal payments made at each period.
A fund containing money set aside or saved to pay off a debt or bond is called a…?
A sinking fund
A bond whose coupon rate increases as time increases according to a predetermined schedule, is better known as a…?
Step up bond
A type of bond that pays interest in additional bonds rather than in cash during the initial period is called a?
PIK bond
A bond where coupons kick in in a future period after issue, is known as a…?
Deferred coupon bond
Bonds that issuers can redeem prior to maturity, are known as a…?
Callable bonds
Initial periods where the bond cannot be recalled are known as…?
Call protection
The value to recall an option is known as what kind of provision?
Make whole provision
How do S&P and Fitch define investment grade bonds?
For S&P and Fitch, the highest bond ratings are AAA, AA, A, and BBB, and are considered investment grade bonds.
How do Moodys define investment grade bonds?
The equivalent ratings by Moody’s are Aaa through Baa3.
How do the ratings agencies define high-yield bonds?
Bonds BB+ or lower (Ba1 or lower) are high-yield
What is the interbank money market?
The market where banks unsecured lend between one another
What does LIBOR stand for?
London Inter Bank Offer Rate
Describe the four mechanisms for issuing bonds in the primary markets?
Public offering
Shelf registration
Private placement
Underwritten offerings
The unofficial market for financial securities is called…?
The grey market
What is a best efforts offering?
Banks do there best effort, do not buy up entire issue, sell what they can on a commission basis
Where does the majority of secondary bond trading happen?
OTC
What does the bid ask spread depend on?
The issuers liquidity
How long does trade settlement take for corporate bonds?
T+2 or T+3
How long does trade settlement take for govt bonds?
T+1
How long does trade settlement take for MM securities?
Same day
Debt issued by the government is called?
Sovereign debt
How are sovereign bonds usually offered to new investors
Via an auction
Bonds that are part of the most recent issue are called?
On the run bonds
Governments that aren’t national governments, are known as?
Nonsovereign governments
Why do non-sovereigns raise debt?
To fund local services and infrastructure such as hospitals, airports and other municipal services
What are quasi-government / agency bonds?
Issued by government-sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae
What is the difference between a bilateral loan and a syndicated loan?
Bilateral loans are funds provided to a borrower by one lender.
Syndicated loans: a form of loan in which two or more lenders jointly provide loans for one or more borrowers on the same loan terms and with different duties and sign the same loan agreement
What sort of companies is commercial paper a good option for?
Good quality businesses with very good creditworthiness
Is commercial paper a short term or long term funding option?
Commercial paper is always short term, with repayment within 9 months
Explain the rollover risk associated with commercial paper?
Rollover risk: risk associated with the refinancing of debt.
What is the difference between a term maturity structure and a serial bond issue?
Term maturity structure: Entire bond issue matures on the same date
Serial bond issue: Bond issue matures on multiple different maturity dates
An arrangement by which one party sells a security to a counterparty with a commitment to buy it back at a later date at a specified (higher) price is called a?
Repo agreement
What is a reverse repo agreement?
Opposite of repurchase agreement, dealer acts as lender
What is a repo rate?
The interest rate implied by the two prices is called the repo rate, which is the annualized percentage difference between the two prices.
What is a repo margin?
The % difference between the initial sale price and the value of the bond
What are the risks associated with taking on a repurchase agreement?
Both sides have counterparty risk
Security may decline in value
Security lender may experience financial distress
What is credit risk?
The failure of a borrower to pay off interest or principal balances.
What are the 2 components of credit risk?
Default risk and loss severity