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Home > Products & Services > Bonds

Bonds

Weekly Market Performance – S&P 500 Nears Bear Market Territory After Seventh Straight Weekly Decline

Published: Fri, 20 May 2022 20:45:37 +0000

Friday, May 20, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart.   U.S. and International Equities U.S. Markets Finish Lower The U.S. major market indexes finished lower for the seventh straight week, the longest such streak in over ten years as the S&P … Continue reading →


Do Investors Think The Fed’s Hammer Works Like A Screwdriver?

Published: Fri, 20 May 2022 16:00:29 +0000

Friday, May 20, 2022 “Our tools don’t really work on supply shocks.” The quote above was one of the most important statements Chair Jerome Powell made at the recent press conference after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to … Continue reading →


When it Comes to Earnings, Buy American

Published: Thu, 19 May 2022 16:00:19 +0000

Thursday, May 19, 2022 This is a macro driven market. So even as the S&P 500 Index nears a bear market, until we get better news on the macro front, volatility will likely continue. There is a long list of … Continue reading →


Six Things To Know About Bear Markets

Published: Wed, 18 May 2022 16:00:23 +0000

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 It has been a historically bad year so far for stocks, with many names in bear markets. Thus far though, the S&P 500 Index has avoided a bear market (classified as a 20% decline from recent … Continue reading →


Are Bonds Acting Like Bonds Again?

Published: Tue, 17 May 2022 16:09:13 +0000

Tuesday, May 17, 2022 One of the value propositions of owning core bonds is that they tend to act as a diversifier during equity market drawdowns. That is, core bonds have tended to outperform equities during equity market selloffs, which … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower For Sixth Straight Week

Published: Fri, 13 May 2022 21:49:46 +0000

Friday, May 13, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Lower Amid another volatile week for the markets, the U.S. major market indexes finished lower for the sixth straight week. This hasn’t happened since 2011.  … Continue reading →


Five Things You Should Know About the Traditional 60/40 Portfolio

Published: Fri, 13 May 2022 16:04:54 +0000

Friday, May 13, 2022 It’s been a tough year so far for a traditional “60/40” portfolio, a portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds. Using the S&P 500 Index and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (“Agg”) to represent stocks … Continue reading →


Oh Great, Here Comes Friday The 13th

Published: Thu, 12 May 2022 16:00:33 +0000

Thursday, May 12, 2022 This is one of the worst starts to a year ever and now we have to worry about Friday the 13th. That’s right, tomorrow, May 13, will be the first Friday the 13th since August 2021. … Continue reading →


April Market Insights – Markets Lost Ground Amid A Challenging 2022

Published: Wed, 11 May 2022 18:00:40 +0000

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Stocks lost ground in April, reversing all of the March gains as the S&P 500 Index tumbled 8.8%. The latest resinous inflation reports and corresponding hawkish response from the … Continue reading →


Moderating Inflation Should Provide Boost in Consumer Confidence

Published: Wed, 11 May 2022 16:00:10 +0000

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Moderating Inflation Should Provide Boost in Consumer Confidence A slight moderation in inflation will likely provide some needed boost in consumer confidence but we may have to wait another month. The April inflation report was not … Continue reading →


Core Bonds Are Trading at Deep Discounts To Par

Published: Tue, 10 May 2022 16:00:53 +0000

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 The unrelenting move higher in U.S. Treasury yields continued last week with the yield on the 10-year Treasury up another 15 basis points (0.15%). Moreover, 10-year Treasury yields have doubled this this year with 130 basis … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower Amid Fed Decision

Published: Fri, 06 May 2022 20:15:20 +0000

Friday, May 6, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Lower Amid a volatile week for the markets around the Federal Reserve (Fed) policy meeting, the U.S. major market indexes finished lower for the fifth … Continue reading →


Subliminal Messages in the Jobs Report

Published: Fri, 06 May 2022 16:00:21 +0000

Friday, May 6, 2022 The U.S. economy added 428,000 jobs in April, matching job growth last month after revisions. The LPL Chart of the Day shows the 3-month average gain dipped from the highs from last year. “A softer trend … Continue reading →


Federal Reserve Meeting Recap: An Historic Rate Hike

Published: Thu, 05 May 2022 16:00:39 +0000

Thursday, May 5, 2022 The Federal Reserve (Fed) ended its two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting yesterday and the outcome was broadly in line with market expectations. As expected, the Committee raised short-term interest rates by 50 basis points … Continue reading →


4 Things You Didn’t Know, But Need To

Published: Wed, 04 May 2022 16:22:17 +0000

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 2022 has been one of the worst starts to a year ever for stocks and bonds. The reasons for the rough start, which are widely known, include inflation, a hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed), soaring yields, the … Continue reading →


Stocks Still Attractively Valued vs. Bonds

Published: Tue, 03 May 2022 16:24:07 +0000

Tuesday, May 3, 2022 We know stocks have gotten cheaper on traditional valuation metrics as a result of the latest market correction. The most commonly used valuation tool, the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E), has fallen from over 21 to under 18 … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower After Volatile Week

Published: Fri, 29 Apr 2022 20:37:42 +0000

Friday, April 29, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Lower For the fourth straight week, the U.S. market indexes finished lower as investors remain concerned over inflation’s potential grip on future corporate profits as … Continue reading →


6 Charts Focused on the Long Term

Published: Fri, 29 Apr 2022 16:00:37 +0000

Friday, April 29, 2022 With the S&P 500 Index in correction territory (down more than 10% from the previous peak) while the market faces a number of big threats, including inflation, a hawkish Federal Reserve, soaring yields, and war in … Continue reading →


Ignore the Headline: Focus on Business Investment

Published: Thu, 28 Apr 2022 16:00:22 +0000

Thursday, April 28, 2022 The U.S. economy shrank at an annualized rate of -1.4% in Q1, partially hindered by the COVID-19 Omicron variant during the first month of the year, but mainly due to a huge trade deficit. Underlying demand … Continue reading →


A Closer Look At The Stock Market Sell Off

Published: Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:00:22 +0000

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 The selloff continued on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 Index down 7.8% in the usually bullish month of April. With three days to go, this could go down as the worst April since a 9.0% drop … Continue reading →


Is the Bond Market Signaling a Recession Is Near?

Published: Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:00:40 +0000

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 In this week’s Weekly Market Commentary (found here) we took a closer look at some of the economic data to see if it is signaling a near-term recession. For us, recessionary risks have increased this year … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower Amid Continued Inflation Concerns

Published: Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:38:18 +0000

Friday, April 22, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Mixed For the third straight week, the U.S. market indexes finished lower as the continued Eastern European conflict along with inflation concerns renewed investor worries … Continue reading →


Earth Day 2022: Invest in Our Planet

Published: Fri, 22 Apr 2022 16:00:30 +0000

Friday, April 22, 2022 Today marks the 52nd Earth Day, with this year’s theme “Invest in Our Planet.” We took this opportunity to look at some of the risks relating to global climate change. While from the top down governments … Continue reading →


Fed’s Beige Book Highlights Range of Risks Facing the Economy

Published: Thu, 21 Apr 2022 16:29:43 +0000

Thursday, April 21, 2022 According to LPL Research’s analysis of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) recently released Beige Book, Main Street sentiment is confronting an expanding number of risks but remains positive overall. Words related to uncertainty reached their highest level … Continue reading →


Three Reasons Inflation Could Be Near A Peak

Published: Wed, 20 Apr 2022 16:00:02 +0000

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Inflation continues to soar, dominating conversation and stretching consumer wallets. Last week’s inflation data saw consumer prices up 8.5% year over year, the most since the early 1980s, while producer prices were up 11.2%, the most … Continue reading →


Finally Some Income for Your Fixed Income

Published: Tue, 19 Apr 2022 16:00:16 +0000

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 The unrelenting move higher in U.S. Treasury yields continued last week making it the 15th week (out of the past 16 weeks) that the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury security ended the week higher. Moreover, … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower Amid Key Economic Data Releases

Published: Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:26:00 +0000

Thursday, April 14, 2022 Index Performance Performance is as of 2:00 PM ET View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Mixed For the second straight week, the majority of U.S. market indexes finished lower as the continued Eastern … Continue reading →


Potential Sector Winners and Losers This Earnings Season

Published: Thu, 14 Apr 2022 16:00:32 +0000

Thursday, April 14, 2022 Earnings season unofficially got underway yesterday with results from Blackrock, JPMorgan Chase, and Delta Airlines. The results were mixed, with JPMorgan Chase shares selling off on the results amid a sizable Russia-related writedown, Blackrock shares little … Continue reading →


No Demand for Semiconductor Stocks

Published: Wed, 13 Apr 2022 16:00:46 +0000

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 One of the most prominent economic stories of the past year has been the supply shortage of semiconductors. As COVID-19 shut down chip making facilities across the globe, and consumers shifted their consumption from services to … Continue reading →


What categories could help release inflation pressures?

Published: Tue, 12 Apr 2022 16:16:15 +0000

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Inflation in March was mostly driven by categories already reverting in April March 2022 inflation metrics soared to highs last seen in December 1981, when the S&P 500 Index was at 123 (versus a little under … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Lower Amid This Week’s FOMC Minute Release

Published: Fri, 08 Apr 2022 20:33:05 +0000

Friday, April 8, 2022 Index Performance U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Mixed Investors sold off equities amid the continued Russia-Ukraine conflict along with its effects on inflation. This week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes added concerns over monetary … Continue reading →


Will Rising Mortgage Rates Squash the Housing Market?

Published: Fri, 08 Apr 2022 16:21:39 +0000

Friday, April 8, 2022 Rising mortgage rates alone will not squash the housing market but will definitely slow exuberance The historic spike in mortgage rates instigated chatter across the country that the housing market is a bubble that will soon … Continue reading →


2022 Masters Golf: Is Tiger A Bull Or A Bear For Stocks?

Published: Thu, 07 Apr 2022 16:00:18 +0000

Thursday, April 7, 2022 This year’s Masters Golf Tournament starts today at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. As usual, the world’s top players will be competing for the coveted green jacket, but as often also seems to be … Continue reading →


10 Things To Know About Inverted Yield Curves

Published: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:00:20 +0000

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 One of the biggest stories over the past few weeks has been the inversion of various points on the U.S. Treasury yield curve. The more well-known 2-year/10-year yield curve spread inverted on April 1, 2022 for … Continue reading →


March Market Insights – Markets Gain Ground Amid A Tough 2022

Published: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 18:00:53 +0000

  Tuesday, April 5, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Most equity markets worldwide gained ground, reversing two straight months of declines. The present geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe have added to the market’s “wall of … Continue reading →


What the Yield Curve Is, and Isn’t, Signaling… Yet

Published: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 16:00:52 +0000

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 The shape of U.S Treasury yield curve is often looked at as a barometer for U.S. economic growth. More specifically, it reflects how the Federal Reserve (Fed) intends to stimulate or slow economic growth by cutting … Continue reading →


Weekly Market Performance – Markets Finish Mixed Amid Geopolitical and Inflation Concerns

Published: Fri, 01 Apr 2022 20:22:33 +0000

Friday, April 1, 2022 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Finish Mixed As has been the major market theme since late February, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its effects on inflation added to this year’s concerns over … Continue reading →


April 1st employment report was no joke: the labor market is tightening

Published: Fri, 01 Apr 2022 16:43:16 +0000

Friday, April 1, 2022 Summary The U.S. economy added 431,000 jobs in March and February job estimates were revised higher, pushing the 3 month average gain to 562,000. Unemployment ticked down to 3.6 percent, indicating a tightening labor market. Gains … Continue reading →


US Earnings Outlook the Envy of the World

Published: Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:00:41 +0000

Thursday, March 31, 2022 Stocks have rallied back nicely over the past couple of weeks, with the S&P 500 up more than 10% off its March 14 low. While some would suggest that the market is sniffing out a potential … Continue reading →


The Devil is in the Details

Published: Thu, 31 Mar 2022 13:19:08 +0000

Thursday, March 31, 2022 The real change in March consumer confidence masked by February revisions. According to the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, consumer confidence “increased” in March to 107.2, but that is based off the sizable downward revision to … Continue reading →


Money and bondsBonds, sometimes called debt instruments or fixed-income securities, are essentially loans. Corporations often raise money by issuing bonds in addition to selling stock. Governments often use bonds to pay for their ongoing operations or specific projects, such as highways or new construction.

The borrower (the bond issuer) typically promises to pay the lender (the bondholder) regular interest payments until a certain date. At that point, the bond is said to have matured. When it reaches its maturity date, the full amount of the loan (the principal or face value) must be repaid to the bondholder. Each bond pays a stated interest rate called the coupon. Most bonds pay interest on a fixed schedule, usually quarterly or semiannually, although some pay all interest at maturity along with the principal. In some cases, the issuer can decide to pay back the loan early by calling the bond and repaying the principal before maturity. The specific terms of a bond are set forth in a bond agreement known as an indenture.

One of the most important reasons why investors choose bonds is for their steady and predictable stream of income through interest payments. Bonds have traditionally been important for retirees for this reason. Also, though they are not risk-free (e.g., a bond issuer could default on a payment or even fail to repay the principal) and individual securities have their own specific risks, bonds as a whole are considered somewhat less risky than stocks. In part, that's because a corporation must pay interest to bondholders before it pays dividends to its shareholders. If it declares bankruptcy or dissolves, bondholders are also first in line to be compensated.

Bond prices may behave very differently from stocks. For example, when stock prices are down, investors often prefer to invest in bonds; this movement is sometimes called a flight to quality because investors prefer the relative stability that bonds and their interest payments offer. Also, when interest rates are high, the return on bonds can be attractive enough that investors become unwilling to assume the greater risk of stocks.

Contact a VyStar Investment Services Financial Advisor today by phone (904) 908-2495 or email VISMarketing@vystarcu.org.

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