Understanding Corporate Bonds | PIMCO (2024)

Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results.

The credit quality of a particular security or group of securities does not ensure the stability or safety of an overall portfolio. The quality ratings of individual issues/issuers are provided to indicate the credit-worthiness of such issues/issuer and generally range from AAA, Aaa, or AAA (highest) to D, C, or D (lowest) for S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch respectively.

A word about risk: Investing in the bond market is subject to risks, including market, interest rate, issuer, credit, inflation risk, and liquidity risk. The value of most bonds and bond strategies are impacted by changes in interest rates. Bonds and bond strategies with longer durations tend to be more sensitive and volatile than those with shorter durations; bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise, and the current low interest rate environment increases this risk. Current reductions in bond counterparty capacity may contribute to decreased market liquidity and increased price volatility. Bond investments may be worth more or less than the original cost when redeemed. Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to factors such as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. Certain U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith of the government. Obligations of U.S. government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees but are generally not backed by the full faith of the U.S. government. Portfolios that invest in such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate in value. Floating rate loans are not traded on an exchange and are subject to significant credit, valuation and liquidity risk. Equities may decline in value due to both real and perceived general market, economic and industry conditions. Diversification does not ensure against loss.

There is no guarantee that these investment strategies will work under all market conditions or are suitable for all investors and each investor should evaluate their ability to invest long-term, especially during periods of downturn in the market.

It is not possible to invest directly in an unmanaged index.

This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Investors should consult their investment professional prior to making an investment decision. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed.

PIMCO provides services only to qualified institutions and investors. This is not an offer to any person in any jurisdiction where unlawful or unauthorized. | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC, 650 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 is regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. | PIMCO Investments LLC, U.S. distributor, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019 is a company of PIMCO. | PIMCO Europe Ltd (Company No. 2604517), PIMCO Europe, Ltd Amsterdam Branch (Company No. 24319743), and PIMCO Europe Ltd - Italy (Company No. 07533910969) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS) in the U.K. The Amsterdam and Italy branches are additionally regulated by the AFM and CONSOB in accordance with Article 27 of the Italian Consolidated Financial Act, respectively. PIMCO Europe Ltd services and products are available only to professional clients as defined in the Financial Conduct Authority’s Handbook and are not available to individual investors, who should not rely on this communication. | PIMCO Deutschland GmbH (Company No. 192083, Seidlstr. 24-24a, 80335 Munich, Germany) is authorised and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) (Marie-Curie-Str. 24-28, 60439 Frankfurt am Main) in Germany in accordance with Section 32 of the German Banking Act (KWG). The services and products provided by PIMCO Deutschland GmbH are available only to professional clients as defined in Section 31a para. 2 German Securities Trading Act (WpHG). They are not available to individual investors, who should not rely on this communication. | PIMCO (Schweiz) GmbH (registered in Switzerland, Company No. CH-020.4.038.582-2), Brandschenkestrasse 41, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland, Tel: + 41 44 512 49 10. The services and products provided by PIMCO Switzerland GmbH are not available to individual investors, who should not rely on this communication but contact their financial adviser. | PIMCO Asia Pte Ltd (501 Orchard Road #09-03, Wheelock Place, Singapore 238880, Registration No. 199804652K) is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a holder of a capital markets services licence and an exempt financial adviser. The asset management services and investment products are not available to persons where provision of such services and products is unauthorised. | PIMCO Asia Limited (Suite 2201, 22nd Floor, Two International Finance Centre, No. 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong) is licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission for Types 1, 4 and 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance. The asset management services and investment products are not available to persons where provision of such services and products is unauthorised. | PIMCO Australia Pty Ltd ABN 54 084 280 508, AFSL 246862 (PIMCO Australia) offers products and services to both wholesale and retail clients as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (limited to general financial product advice in the case of retail clients). This communication is provided for general information only without taking into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular investors. | PIMCO Japan Ltd (Toranomon Towers Office 18F, 4-1-28, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 105-0001) Financial Instruments Business Registration Number is Director of Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Financial Instruments Firm) No. 382. PIMCO Japan Ltd is a member of Japan Investment Advisers Association and The Investment Trusts Association, Japan. Investment management products and services offered by PIMCO Japan Ltd are offered only to persons within its respective jurisdiction, and are not available to persons where provision of such products or services is unauthorized. Valuations of assets will fluctuate based upon prices of securities and values of derivative transactions in the portfolio, market conditions, interest rates and credit risk, among others. Investments in foreign currency denominated assets will be affected by foreign exchange rates. There is no guarantee that the principal amount of the investment will be preserved, or that a certain return will be realized; the investment could suffer a loss. All profits and losses incur to the investor. The amounts, maximum amounts and calculation methodologies of each type of fee and expense and their total amounts will vary depending on the investment strategy, the status of investment performance, period of management and outstanding balance of assets and thus such fees and expenses cannot be set forth herein. | PIMCO Canada Corp. (199 Bay Street, Suite 2050, Commerce Court Station, P.O. Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2) services and products may only be available in certain provinces or territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose. | PIMCO Latin America Edifício Internacional Rio Praia do Flamengo, 154 1o andar, Rio de Janeiro – RJ Brasil | No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. ©2016, PIMCO

CMR2016-0803-202847

Understanding Corporate Bonds | PIMCO (2024)

FAQs

Are corporate bonds a good investment? ›

Bonds tend to be much less volatile than stocks and move in response to a number of factors such as interest rates (more below). Less risky than stocks. Bonds are less risky than stocks, and are among the best low-risk investments.

How do you profit from corporate bonds? ›

In return for buying the bonds, the investor – or bondholder– receives periodic interest payments known as coupons. The coupon payments, which may be made quarterly, twice yearly or annually, are expected to provide regular, predictable income to the investor..

How to analyze corporate bonds? ›

The first step in valuing the bond is to find the expected value at each period. It is done by adding the product of the default payout and the probability of default (P) with the product of the promised payment (coupon payments and repayment of principal) and the probability of not defaulting (1-P).

What are corporate bonds in layman terms? ›

Corporate bonds are debt securities issued by a corporation in order to raise money to grow the business, pay bills, make capital improvements, make acquisitions, and for other business needs.

What are the cons of corporate bonds? ›

Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds

If the issuer goes out of business, the investor may never get the promised interest payments or even get their principal back. Corporate bonds are generally considered riskier than government bonds because governments have the option of raising taxes to meet their obligations.

Are corporate bonds good during recession? ›

Bonds can perform well in a recession as investors tend to flock to bonds rather than stocks in times of economic downturns. This is because stocks are riskier as they are more volatile when markets are not doing well.

Are corporate bonds taxed as income? ›

Interest from corporate bonds is generally taxable at both the federal and state levels. Interest from Treasuries is generally taxable at the federal level, but not at the state level.

Can corporate bonds lose value? ›

Bonds can lose money too

You can lose money on a bond if you sell it before the maturity date for less than you paid or if the issuer defaults on their payments.

How much are corporate bonds paying right now? ›

Moody's Seasoned Aaa Corporate Bond Yield is at 5.24%, compared to 5.21% the previous market day and 4.80% last year. This is lower than the long term average of 6.46%. The Moody's Seasoned Aaa Corporate Bond Yield measures the yield on corporate bonds that are rated Aaa.

What is the average return on corporate bonds? ›

The absolute level of yields is one of the key reasons why investors should consider investment-grade corporate bonds—the average yield of the Bloomberg US Corporate Bond Index closed November at 5.6%.

Should you buy bonds when interest rates are high? ›

Should I only buy bonds when interest rates are high? There are advantages to purchasing bonds after interest rates have risen. Along with generating a larger income stream, such bonds may be subject to less interest rate risk, as there may be a reduced chance of rates moving significantly higher from current levels.

What happens when a corporate bond matures? ›

A bond's term to maturity is the period during which its owner will receive interest payments on the investment. When the bond reaches maturity, the owner is repaid its par, or face, value.

What are the 2 types of corporate bonds? ›

Corporate bonds fall into two broad credit classifications: investment-grade and speculative-grade (or high yield) bonds. Speculative-grade bonds are issued by companies perceived to have a lower level of credit quality compared to more highly rated, investment-grade, companies.

Do corporate bonds pay dividends? ›

the company has no similar obligation to pay dividends to shareholders. In a bankruptcy, bond investors have priority over shareholders in claims on the company's assets. like all investments, bonds carry risks.

Which is better, corporate bonds or government bonds? ›

In general, corporate bonds offer higher returns for investors but have higher volatility and loss potential relative to government bonds. Investors must analyze the trade-off between risk and return based on their investment horizon, risk tolerance and portfolio allocation needs.

Are corporate bonds better than fixed deposit? ›

Bonds typically offer higher returns, albeit with accompanying risks such as credit or interest rate risk, which vary depending on the specific bonds chosen. Fixed deposits guarantee fixed returns, but the interest earned is taxable based on your tax slab.

What is the best corporate bond to invest in? ›

Here are the best Corporate Bond funds
  • SPDR® Portfolio Corporate Bond ETF.
  • iShares Broad USD Invm Grd Corp Bd ETF.
  • SPDR® Portfolio Interm Term Corp Bd ETF.
  • iShares 5-10 Year invmt Grd Corp Bd ETF.
  • Goldman Sachs Acss Invmt Grd Corp Bd ETF.
  • iShares ESG USD Corporate Bond ETF.
  • iShares iBoxx $ Invmt Grade Corp Bd ETF.

Do corporate bonds do well in inflation? ›

The twin factors that affect a bond's price are inflation and changing interest rates. A rise in either interest rates or the inflation rate will tend to cause bond prices to drop. Inflation and interest rates behave similarly to bond yields, moving in the opposite direction from bond prices.

What is the return of corporate bonds? ›

In return, the company agrees to pay interest (typically twice per year) and then repay the face value of the bond once it matures. Let's use a typical fixed-rate bond as an example. If you invest $1,000 in a 10-year bond paying 3% fixed interest, the company will pay $30 per year and return your $1,000 in a decade.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Catherine Tremblay

Last Updated:

Views: 5907

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Catherine Tremblay

Birthday: 1999-09-23

Address: Suite 461 73643 Sherril Loaf, Dickinsonland, AZ 47941-2379

Phone: +2678139151039

Job: International Administration Supervisor

Hobby: Dowsing, Snowboarding, Rowing, Beekeeping, Calligraphy, Shooting, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Catherine Tremblay, I am a precious, perfect, tasty, enthusiastic, inexpensive, vast, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.