Bond—a writtenacknowledgement of a debt, usually given under the company's seal, containing provisions for payment of interest and repayment of principal. The debt may be secured on some or all of the company's assets.
Type | Secured Bonds | Unsecured Bonds |
Securityand votingrights | ● Can be secured by one or more specific asset (e.g. over property), this is known as a fixed charge. ● Secured by a class of assets (e.g. net current assets or working capital), this is known as a floating charge. ● On default, the assets used as security are sold and the proceeds applied towards repaying the debt. ● No voting rights. | ● No security. ● Holders have the same rights as ordinary creditors. ● No voting rights. |
Income | ● A fixed annual amount (interest), usually expressed as a percentage of nominal value. | ● A fixed annual amount (interest), usually expressed as a percentage of nominal value. |
In the UK, bonds are
usually issued with a face value of £100.
They can be traded on
the bond market and reach a market price.
Hence, if a bond is
"selling at a premium of 15%", this means that a bond with a face value of ?100
is currently selling for £115.
This indicates that the
rate of interest on this bond is attractive when compared with current market
rates, creating demand for the bond and a rise in price.*
In the US the face
value of a bond is usually $1,000.
2. Deep Discount Bonds
Deep discount
bonds—bonds issued at a large discount to nominal value (i.e. issued well below
face value) and redeemable at par on maturity.*
With deep discount
bonds, investors receive a large capital gain on redemption, but are paid a low
rate of interest, if any, during the term of the loan.
These bonds offer a
cash flow advantage to the borrower. This is especially
useful for financing projects which produce weak cash flows in early years.
3.Zero-Coupon Bonds
Zero-coupon bonds—bonds
issued at a discount to face value and which pay zero annual interest.
Zero-coupon bonds have
the following advantages:
The issuing company
pays no interest and the only cash payout is at the bonds' maturity.
Investors gain from the
difference between issue and redemption price.