Intricacies of Bond Investments
At a glance, bond investing seems straightforward. You purchase a bond, effectively lending its face value to an entity—be it a corporation, a municipal organization, or the U.S. government. They, in turn, pay you a predetermined interest at set intervals throughout the bond’s term. Once the term concludes, your original investment is returned.
Seems simple, doesn’t it?
However, investors started recognizing the complexities in bond investments as early as the late 1990s. A notorious example is the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management, a hedge fund steered by Nobel laureates, which faltered due to incorrect bets on interest rate movements. Various mutual funds and savings and loan associations have also tumbled due to poor judgments, particularly regarding high-yield bonds.
The value of bonds, and by extension their returns, can be affected by a diverse range of factors. The most immediate is the risk associated with interest rates. When interest rates rise, the price of existing bonds typically falls. This is because new bonds issued at these higher rates make older, lower-yielding bonds less appealing.
So, where do the major risks lie? Traditionally, bonds or bond funds with longer maturities, say 20 to 30 years, offer higher interest rates compared to their short-term counterparts. However, these long-term bonds are more vulnerable to negative impacts from rising interest rates, exposing investors to greater financial risk.
Another variable affecting bond value is the credit rating of the issuer. This serves as an indicator of how creditworthy is the borrowing entity. While various agencies rate these bonds and their methods may differ, a high rating generally assures investors of the repayment of both interest and principal. However, bonds referred to as “junk bonds” come from less stable issuers, requiring higher yields to offset the risk of default or reduced repayment.
Credit ratings aren’t static, either. Companies may improve their standing and thus make their existing bonds more valuable, or see if credit worthiness declines, their bonds become less valuable (and riskier.)
One recurrent pitfall, especially when recession looms, is the allure of bonds with high yields but low credit ratings. Should the economy slide into a recession some of these bonds are likely to be downgraded or default- leading to lower-than-expected returns.
Many mutual funds may use these high-risk, high-yield bonds. Investors may compare these higher yields with the lower, more stable yields of Treasury or blue-chip corporate bonds however, they should also consider the lower quality and higher volatility high yield bonds provide.
In summary, while higher yields may seem tempting, they generally speaking come with associated risks that may not be fully understood or adequately considered. The lower the yield, the safer the investment, both in terms of maturity length and credit rating.