Giles Coghlan LLB, Lth, MA
HYCM
The basics of what a bond is
Think of a bond simply as a type of loan. It is a loan taken out by Governments and companies. When Governments and very large companies want to borrow money they can’t easily go to a bank because of the huge amounts of money involved. So, a bond is a mechanism by which a Government or large corporation borrows money for their needs. The bond is issued for a set period of time. Bonds can be purchased for different lengths of time from short-term, medium-term, and long-term bonds. Short-term bonds are only for a year or two, medium-term bonds are up to 10 years, and long-term bonds are generally 10 years or longer. These bonds have a coupon or yield rate.
Understanding what a yield is on a bond
As an incentive to loan money to the Government or a large company the bond has a yield. The yield is an agreed interest payment on the value of the loan. So, for example, say you purchased a UK bond for £1000 with a yield of 5%, referred to as a coupon, you would receive £50 for each year you held the bond. Then, when the bond expires, you would receive back the original value you purchased the bond for. So, to be clear, the graph below shows a ‘yield curve’. The black dots on the chart show the ‘yields or coupons’ for each bond. The 3YR bond is showing a yield just above 1%. The 7YR bond is showing a yield of just above 2% and the 30YR bond has a yield of just over 3%. The dots are joined together and that creates what is known as the ‘yield curve’.
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Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD falls below 1.0500 after US NFP data
EUR/USD dropped below 1.0450 but managed to stage a modest rebound. The US Dollar preserves its strength against its rivals and doesn't allow the pair to gain traction after the data from the US showed that Nonfarm Payrolls rose by 263,000 in November.
GBP/USD turns south on upbeat US jobs report, trades below 1.2200
GBP/USD lost nearly 100 pips with the immediate reaction to the upbeat November jobs report from the US and broke below 1.2200. The US Dollar Index clings to strong daily gains above 105.00 after the data showed that Nonfarm Payrolls rose by 263,000.
USD/JPY jumps after NFP erasing daily losses, finds resistance below 136.00
The USD/JPY jumped from 134.10 to 135.95, after the release of the US official employment report that showed better-than-expected numbers. The pair then pulled back toward 135.00 after the initial reaction.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD falls below 1.0500 after US NFP data
EUR/USD dropped below 1.0450 but managed to stage a modest rebound. The US Dollar preserves its strength against its rivals and doesn't allow the pair to gain traction after the data from the US showed that Nonfarm Payrolls rose by 263,000 in November.
GBP/USD turns south on upbeat US jobs report, trades below 1.2200
GBP/USD lost nearly 100 pips with the immediate reaction to the upbeat November jobs report from the US and broke below 1.2200. The US Dollar Index clings to strong daily gains above 105.00 after the data showed that Nonfarm Payrolls rose by 263,000.
Gold retreats below $1,790 as US yields surge on US NFP
Gold price turned south and dropped below $1,790 in the early American session. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield is up more than 2% on the day near 3.6% after the bigger-than-expected November job growth, weighing heavily on XAU/USD.
FTX exchange collapse, loss of $3.1 billion could have been avoided on one condition
FTX exchange, founded by Samuel Bankman-Fried (SBF), has consistently made headlines over the past month for its liquidity crisis and triggering a collapse in the crypto ecosystem.
AMC advances more than 3% in premarket day after being halted
AMC stock is up 3.4% in Friday's premarket just a day after authorities halted trading due to unusual volatility. Thursday saw options volume three times higher than the 20-day average.
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