Fundamentals Of The Bond Market

Understand the ins and outs of today's surprisingly versatile bond marketplace As stocks continue their roller-coaster ride, nervous investors will be looking at bonds. FUNDAMENTALS OF THE BOND MARKET gives you the tools you need to master this complex market so you can diversify your portfolio, and get reliable income and safety of principal. Author Esme Faerber has packed this guide with examples, quizzes, checklists, and plain-English explanations to enhance your understanding of everything from the basics of buying and selling to bond ratings, government and international securities, call and convertible features, portfolio management, and more. Before you risk money in real-time trading, let this hands-on tool bring you up to speed on: *Three steps that determine the best bond mutual fund for any investor *Corporate, Municipal, Convertible and Zero-Coupon Bonds - which to buy for individual portfolios *Treasury securities - how and why to invest in T-bills, notes, and bonds *Tips of the Trade - techniques to calculate yields, buy and sell different types of bonds, and more

Praise for the Classic Guide to the Bond Market "This is simply the most comprehensive, useful look-it-up book onmunicipal bonds I've ever read (said with all due respect to TheABC of Municipal Bonds my dad wrote in 1937 when I was nine). ReadFundamentals cover to cover. I'm keeping mine in my briefcase,under my arm, at my fingertips. No accountant, financial advisor,attorney, new bond salesman, reporter, regulator, test-writer,cautious, suspicious first-time investor in municipal bonds, ordinner guest is ever going to catch me again with a question aboutmunicipal bonds I can't answer."-Jim Lebenthal, Chairman, Lebenthal& Co. "Judy Wesalo Temel gives us the Rosetta stone of the municipal bondmarket, the key to unraveling the many mysteries of 'muni's.' Herbook, a fresh take on the old standard Fundamentals of MunicipalBonds, updates chapter and verse on everything from investing tounderwriting, from over-the-counter to over-the-Internet. The styleis clean, crisp, and as simple as this complex subject can be. Areyou a novice who wonders how to invest in bonds? She lays out thebasics. Examples are easy to follow-even the mathematical ones thatare critical to explaining how municipal bonds work. At the sametime, there is plenty of meat for the pros. Whether you need tostart from square one and learn all about municipal bonds and howthey work, or need a ready reference for specific technicalquestions you run across as a market professional, this book is foryou."-Kathleen Hays, Economics Editor, Credit Markets Reporter, and"Bond Belle" CNBC "This is a must-read for every scholar, banker, and public officialconcerned with local government finance in the United States. JudyWesalo Temel has done the impossible: she has clearly andinsightfully explained how we finance the development of thenation's vital public infrastructure. This is an important book,one that will be required reading for professionals responsible forplanning, designing, and evaluating publicly financed projects-thehealth care, transportation, and educational facilities that allcitizens rely upon. The bond market is an essential element in thelife of local and state government, and this book makes itunderstandable to all Americans."-Mitchell Moss, Henry Hart RiceProfessor of Urban Planning and Director, Taub Urban ResearchCenter, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, NewYork University

The definitive new edition of the most trusted book on municipal bonds As of the end of 1998, municipal bonds, issued by state or local governments to finance public works programs, such as the building of schools, streets, and electrical grids, totaled almost $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt, a number that has only increased over time. The market for these bonds is comprised of many types of professionals—investment bankers, underwriters, traders, analysts, attorneys, rating agencies, brokers, and regulators—who are paid interest and principal according to a fixed schedule. Intended for investment professionals interested in how US municipal bonds work, The Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds, Sixth Edition explains the bond contract and recent changes in this market, providing investors with the information and tools they need to make bonds reliable parts of their portfolios. The market is very different from when the fifth edition was published more than ten years ago, and this revision reasserts Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds as the preeminent text in the field Explores the basics of municipal securities, including the issuers, the primary market, and the secondary market Key areas, such as investing in bonds, credit analysis, interest rates, and regulatory and disclosure requirements, are covered in detail This revised edition includes appendixes, a glossary, and a list of financial products related to applying the fundamentals of municipal bonds An official book of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) With today's financial market in recovery and still highly volatile, investors are looking for a safe and steady way to grow their money without having to invest in stocks. The bond market has always been a safe haven, although confusing new bonds and bond funds make it increasingly difficult for unfamiliar investors to decide on the most suitable fixed income investments.

Professional investors have long understood the importance of bonds in a successful portfolio strategy. Now you can too. That's because Wall Street bond expert Michael Brandes takes a unique approach to this complex subject—he makes it simple. In Naked Guide to Bonds: What You Need to Know, Stripped Down to the Bare Essentials, technical jargon and complicated subject matter are translated into a straightforward, easy-to-read style with plenty of examples. What's more, rather than writing an all-inclusive book on the bond market, Brandes uses his expertise to eliminate the information that is not relevant to individual investors. The result is a practical and succinct guide that empowers you to make informed investment decisions. Naked Guide to Bonds is written so that each chapter builds upon the information that precedes it. That way you'll never be thrown for a loop. It begins with basic questions such as: Who issues bonds, and why? And how are bonds bought and sold? Then you'll learn about the structure of these securities and the characteristics that distinguish them from stocks. Once you're armed with the fundamentals, you'll discover how inflation, interest rates, and changes in the economy impact bond prices. Naked Guide to Bonds also provides insights about different types of bonds, including those issued by the U.S. government and its agencies, municipalities, corporations, and international issuers. Most importantly, you'll understand how to identify the bonds that are most appropriate for you. In the final sections, you'll determine how to: Assess your risk profile and set goals Construct a portfolio to meet your objectives Implement a customized strategy Evaluate individual bonds and mutual funds Monitor and maintain your portfolio Avoid the most common mistakes Filled with helpful charts and informative "Bare Essentials" summary points at the beginning of each chapter, Naked Guide to Bonds provides an effective way to become a smart and successful bond investor. Take a look for yourself and you'll see how enjoyable and rewarding learning about bonds can be.

The definitive new edition of the most trusted book on municipal bonds As of the end of 1998, municipal bonds, issued by state or local governments to finance public works programs, such as the building of schools, streets, and electrical grids, totaled almost $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt, a number that has only increased over time. The market for these bonds is comprised of many types of professionals—investment bankers, underwriters, traders, analysts, attorneys, rating agencies, brokers, and regulators—who are paid interest and principal according to a fixed schedule. Intended for investment professionals interested in how US municipal bonds work, The Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds, Sixth Edition explains the bond contract and recent changes in this market, providing investors with the information and tools they need to make bonds reliable parts of their portfolios. The market is very different from when the fifth edition was published more than ten years ago, and this revision reasserts Fundamentals of Municipal Bonds as the preeminent text in the field Explores the basics of municipal securities, including the issuers, the primary market, and the secondary market Key areas, such as investing in bonds, credit analysis, interest rates, and regulatory and disclosure requirements, are covered in detail This revised edition includes appendixes, a glossary, and a list of financial products related to applying the fundamentals of municipal bonds An official book of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) With today's financial market in recovery and still highly volatile, investors are looking for a safe and steady way to grow their money without having to invest in stocks. The bond market has always been a safe haven, although confusing new bonds and bond funds make it increasingly difficult for unfamiliar investors to decide on the most suitable fixed income investments.

This paper studies the determinants of shifts in debt composition among EM non-financial corporates. We show that institutions and macro fundamentals create an enabling environment for bond market development. During the recent boom episode, however, global cyclical factors accounted for most of the variation of bond shares in total corporate debt. The sensitivity to global factors appears to vary with relative bond market size—which we interpret to be associated with liquidity and easy entry and exit—rather than local fundamentals. Foreign bank linkages help explain why bond markets increasingly substituted for banks in channeling liquidity to EMs. Our results highlight the risk of capital flow reversal in EMs that benefited from the upturn in the global financial cycle mostly due to their liquid markets rather than strong fundamentals.

Take a journey through the fundamentals of bonds in this guide that lays the groundwork for understanding their importance in the financial landscape. Delve deeper into the various types of bonds, exploring their unique characteristics and benefits.

Introduces Hall information about bonds: an overview of each types of bond, including its risk and price volatility affect the investment how to create a balanced portfolio; where and how to find the best buys in each bond category; what tax exemption really means; and how to figure bond yields and much more.