What is a bond?

Learn what a bond is

When governments and companies want to raise money, they’ll often do so by issuing bonds.

Bonds are effectively promissory notes. In return for buying bonds, investors will receive the money they put in back, plus interest.
Investors usually buy bonds because they promise a fixed return, in the form of interest, that is supposed to be paid back at one or several preset dates.

As the interest rate paid on bonds is usually fixed and pre-set, it’s common for bonds to be referred to as ‘fixed-income’ investments. Today, not all bonds have a fixed interest rate. Many are now issued with variable or floating interest rates, which change over time.

Deep dive: What are bonds and why investors buy them?

More terms

Unicorn

A startup valued at over £1 billion. They are rare, hence the name.
Read more

Maturity value

What's the maturity value of a bond?
Read more

Alpha

The percentage by which an investor outperforms a relevant benchmark.
Read more

Withholding Tax

A tax deduction made at the source of the payment.
Read more

Forward pricing

Mutual funds are traded on a forward pricing basis, meaning the price you see will be different to the price you may trade at.
Read more

Earnings per share

We look at what earnings per share mean and how to calculate it
Read more

Investment Return

The amount of money made or lost from an investment. Usually expressed as a percentage.
Read more

Net Asset Value (NAV)

The value of a company's assets relative to the number of shares it has.
Read more

Leverage

A method of trading using borrowed money that usually involves a very high level of risk.
Read more

You’re just minutes away from commission-free investing

When you invest, your capital is at risk