Companies or governments issues bonds as a way of raising funds. They borrow funds from investors in the form of bonds, making it a form of debt. When you purchase a bond, the issuer is legally obliged to pay you regular interest and at the bond’s maturity, pay back the face value of the bond to you.
Bonds are issued by many companies – from well known companies such as BHP, Qantas and Commonwealth Bank to smaller companies such as G8 Education and Praeco.
Over 600 bonds are available via FIIG’s DirectBonds Service. Wholesale qualified investors can also invest in foreign currency denominated bonds, including USD, GBP and Euro bonds.
When you purchase a bond, the issuer is legally obliged to pay you regular interest (referred to as coupons) and at the bond’s maturity, the face value of the bond (which is the price the bond was issued at – usually $100) must be paid back to you.
There are two main differences between corporate bonds and term deposits. Firstly, term deposits are only issued by banks and other financial institutions , whilst corporate bonds are issued by a more diverse range of companies across different sectors including retail, technology, transport and infrastructure. Secondly, term deposits must be held until they mature, whilst corporate bonds can be bought and sold when it suits you any time prior to maturity.
When you purchase shares in a company, you become a part owner of that company and there’s no certainty of income via dividends. With corporate bonds, you lend money to the company that issues the bond and it is legally required to pay you regular interest and repay the face value of the bond when the bond matures. This means that investing in a company’s bond is a lower risk than owning its equity or shares.
Another major difference between shares and bonds is that shares are generally traded on an open exchange such as the ASX, whereas the majority of corporate bonds are traded on the Over the Counter market.