Unit 2 Flashcards
What is PAR VALUE?
Most DEBT SECURITIES have a par value of $1,000. This is also called the PRINCIPAL or FACE VALUE.
Name the different TYPES OF MATURITIES
1.
2.
3.
term,
serial, and
balloon.
What is MATURITY DATE?
This is the DATE the investor receives the LOAN PRINCIPAL BACK.
What is the COMMON MATURITY RANGE?
common maturities are in the range of
5-30 years
What is TERM BOND?
A term bond is structured so that the PRINCIPAL of the whole issue MATURES AT ONCE. Because the entire principal is repaid at ONE TIME, issuers may establish a SINKING FUND ACCOUNT to ACCUMULATE MONEY
TO RETIRE THE BONDS AT MATURITY.
The term “SERIES” normally refers to
types of SAVINGS BONDS
What are SAVINGS BONDS?
Savings bonds are a type of DEBT ISSUED by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT that may be purchased and REDEEMED AT BANKS or from the TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
Savings bonds DO NOT TRADE in the secondary market and, though they are a security, are EXEMPT from SEVERAL SECURITIES LAWS.
What is a SERIAL BOND
a SERIAL BOND ISSUE schedules PORTIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL to MATURE AT INTERVALS OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS until the ENTIRE BALANCE has been REPAID.
True or False
SERIES is a TYPE OF MATURITY used with DEBT SECURITIES.
False
Series is NOT a type of maturity used with debt securities.
The term SERIES normally refers to types of SAVINGS BONDS.
How is INTEREST normally paid?
paid on a SEMIANNUAL basis
What is a BALLOON BOND?
An issuer sometimes schedules its bond’s maturity using elements of both SERIAL AND TERM MATURITIES.
The issuer REPAYS PART OF THE BOND’S PRINCIPAL before the final maturity date, as with a serial maturity but pays off the major portion of the bond at maturity.
What are COUPONS?
COUPONS represent the INTEREST RATE the ISSUER HAS AGREED TO PAY THE INVESTOR.
Regarding ACCRUED INTEREST, what happens if the bond trades BETWEEN COUPON PAYMENTS?
The buyer (new owner) MUST PAY the seller (old owner) the AMOUNT OF INTEREST EARNED TO DATE at the TIME OF SETTLEMENT.
This means the NEW OWNER gets paid the FULL COUPON from the issuer in the NEXT PAYMENT CYCLE.
What is ANOTHER NAME given to COUPONS
STATED YIELD
or
NOMINAL YIELD
How do CORPORATE AND MUNICIPALS calculate their ACCRUED INTEREST?
use a 30-day-month/360-day-year calculation for accrued interest.
How is STATED YIELD calculated?
It is calculated from the bond’s PAR VALUE, usually stated as a PERCENTAGE OF PAR
a bond with a 6% coupon is paying $___ in interest per year
60
(6% x $1,000 par value = $60)
TREASURY BONDS AND NOTES transactions employ the ___________ when calculating the amount of ACCRUED INTEREST DUE
actual number of days elapsed
True or False
Buyers of ZERO-COUPON BONDS do not pay ACCRUED INTEREST because these securities are NOT INTEREST BEARING.
true
How is bond pricing MEASURED?
Bond pricing is measured in POINTS, with EACH POINT equaling 1% OF FACE VALUE
What impacts bond PRICING?
supply and demand
What is the INTEREST RATE in relation to WHAT THE ISSUER PAYS?
the INTEREST RATE THE ISSUER PAYS is the COST OF BORROWING MONEY
What RELATIONSHIP does INTEREST RATE and BOND PRICE have?
INVERSE
If INTEREST RATES go UP, BOND PRICES for those trading in the secondary markets will go DOWN.
How does COUPON VALUE change in relation to a PRICE CHANGE IN BOND PRICES?
Though the PRICE OF A BOND will REACT TO MARKET FORCES (interest rate sensitivity and general supply and demand), the coupon is ALWAYS THE SAME.
The coupon is a FIXED PERCENTAGE OF PAR VALUE
What is a BOND’S YIELD?
A bond’s yield expresses the CASH INTEREST PAYMENTS in relation to the BOND’S VALUE.
How is YIELD determined?
determined by the
- issuer’s CREDIT QUALITY,
- prevailing INTEREST RATES,
- time to MATURITY,
- and any FEATURES the bond may have, such as a CALL FEATURE
What is NOMINAL YIELD?
Coupon, nominal, or stated yield is set at the TIME OF ISSUE.
Remember that the coupon is a FIXED PERCENTAGE of the bond’s par value.
How is yield measured?
measured in basis points. A basis point is a measurement of yield equal to 1/100 of 1%.
What is the difference in measurement of yield and bond price?
a point is a measurement of the change in a bond’s price, which equals 1% of face value while basis point is a measurement of yield equal to 1/100 of 1%.
What is current yield?
CY measures a bond’s annual coupon payment (interest) relative to its market price, as shown in the following equation:
annual coupon payment + market price = current yield
If you see a bond that is trading on a “basis of” and the question then provides you a yield, that yield is
the yield to maturity (YTM)
Describe a bond with a call feature
A bond with a call feature may be redeemed before maturity at the issuer’s option. Essentially, when a callable bond is called in by the issuer, the investor receives the principal back sooner than anticipated (before maturity).
Describe yield to maturity?
A bond’s YTM reflects the annualized return of the bond if held to maturity. In calculating yield to maturity, the bondholder takes into account the difference between the price that was paid for a bond and par value received when the bond matures.
How is yield to call calculated?
reflect the early redemption date and consequent acceleration of the discount gain if the bond was originally purchased at a discount, or the accelerated premium loss if the bond was originally purchased at a premium.
Your customer calls you with a question. The customer tells you that they received a phone call from the bond desk telling the customer that a trade to purchase 20 bonds at 100 has been executed for the customer’s account. The customer would like to know how much they paid for the bonds before any commission or other charges. The answer to the customer’s question is
A. $2,000.
B. $200,000.
C. $1,000.
D. $20,000.
D. $20,000.
Paying “100” means they paid 100% of par ($1,000) per bond. They purchased 20 bonds, so a total of $20,000. Not that the question concerned “how much they paid for the bonds,” not the price per bond.
A 6% corporate bond trading on a 7% BASIS is trading
A. at a discount.
B. at a premium.
C. with a current yield above 7%.
D. with a coupon rate below 6%.
A. at a discount.
The term “a 7% basis” means that the YTM is 7%. YTM is higher than the COUPON RATE (6%), so the bond trades at a discount.
CURRENT YIELD must be BETWEEN THE COUPON RATE AND THE YTM.
A BB-rated 6% corporate callable bond that matures in 12 years that is trading at 100.25 is priced at
A. a discount.
B. a premium.
C. with a current yield above 7%.
D. with a coupon rate below 6%.
B. a premium.
There are a lot of words, but the only thing you need to understand in order to answer this question is that the bond is TRADING ABOVE PAR (100), so it’s at a PREMIUM.
What is BOND RATING?
The purchase of a debt security is ONLY AS SAFE AS THE STRENGTH OF THE BORROWER.
That strength can be ENHANCED if the loan has COLLATERAL.
Because SAFETY OF THE BOND will frequently be a VERY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION FOR CLIENTS, most investors consult the RATING SERVICES.
Based on STANDARD AND POORS RATING SERVICE, what does “BBB” mean?
Adequate capacity to repay principal and interest.
Slightly speculative
Based on STANDARD AND POORS RATING SERVICE, what does “C” mean?
NO INTERST is being paid on bond at this time.
What is the HIGHEST BOND RATING?
AAA or Aaa
Based on STANDARD AND POORS RATING SERVICE, what does “A” mean?
Judged to be SLIGHTLY MORE susceptible to adverse economic conditions.
What is INVESTMENT GRADE?
In the industry, BONDS RATED in the TOP FOUR CATEGORIES (BBB or Baa and higher) are called INVESTMENT GRADE.
What are the 3 major credit rating agencies?
■ Fitch Ratings, Inc.
■ Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
■ Standard and Poor’s Rating Service (S&P)