bonds
bonds questions and answers
Learn about bonds at the number one young investor website Teen Analyst.
Q: What is a good site for information about bonds?
Yahoo Finance has a good way to organize a portfolio of stocks I want to watch or track. Is there a site (Yahoo or other) that offers a way to track data about bonds the same way? I want to know maturity dates and rates to maturity for several bonds we are thinking of buying, but I can't find the information anywhere other than calling a broker right now.
Can anyone recommend a good preferably free site. One with yahoo would be perfect.
Jeff and CME - both good sources. THANKS!
A: http://www.investinginbonds.com/
Q: What two types of carbon-carbon bonds are never found in a saturated hydrocarbon?
What two types of carbon-carbon bonds are never found in a saturated hydrocarbon?
A: Double bonds and triple bonds. They only contain single bonds.
Single bonds are just sigma bonds, double bonds are one sigma and one pi bond, triple bonds are one sigma and two pi bonds.
Q: What is the difference between Corporate Bonds and Corporate Debt Funds?
For example I can buy shares of the exchange traded fund: IShares S&P US Preferrd Stock Index Fund (PFF), which is classified as a Corporate Debt Funds BBB-Rated.
Is a corporate debt fund like PFF a collection of corporate bonds?
Thanks !
A: Sort of but not exactly. It is a collection of preferred stock, which are sort of a debt and in fact many times classified as debt but are further down on the food chain when it comes to bankruptcy proceedings than corporate bonds. Generally, preferred stock holder get nothing whereas corporate bond holders might bet a pertinence. Another difference is the tax consequences. A portion of the income from this fund will be taxed at the current preferred rate whereas bond interest is not.
Q: Why does China buying USA bonds therefore peg the yuan to dollar exchange rate as low and stabilise the ER ?
I am not an economist. If the USA runs up debt serviced by bonds, at present China buys the debt as bonds, gilts etc. This sounds ominous. This encourages US debt and keeps bond yields low, as they can easily find a buyer at present ? Surely it can all go horribly wrong if China, amongst others, stop buying ? My real question is why do they buy up US debt? What is the advantage for China in terms of dollar yuan exchange rates ?
A: The advantage for China is that it keeps exports high, keeping the economy growing and the people happy.
They have a lot of US dollars from the export business, so they invest in US dollar assets. They keep thier reserves of US dollars high to keep thier currency peg in place.
If China stopped buying what would happen? I suspect that the US dollar would loose value, and imports to the US decrease, exports increase, a bit inflationary for the US, and might push up interest rates a bit, increasing the savings rate at home, would not be a bad thing. I doubt it would spell any sort of catastrophy.
Q: Can anyone tell me the difference between EE and I bonds?
I would like to know which is better to buy for my kids. I was told to buy "I" bonds but my boss and I are having a disagreement on which is better. Which earns better interest and in the long run would be worth more. Say for example a $100 Bond. I know you pay $50 for the "EE" and $100 for the "I". So in 30 years what would be the outcome of the two?
A: I bonds are different from EE bonds. The I bonds are indexed to inflation. So each 6 months the rate changes.
Here is the link where you can get more information.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/products/prod_ibonds_glance.htm
Q: How did Barry Bonds learn his exact steroid testing date months ahead of time?
In my opinion, the most shocking news in the Mitchell report was the fact that Barry Bonds and his trainer were told the exact date of his official "random" steroid test approx 3 months ahead of time. Is it known how this information was leaked to Bonds? Did the MLB front office tell him on purpose so he wouldn't make baseball look bad with a positive test?
A: Thats a great point. Idt MLB would do that or they wouldnt have allowed the Mitchell report to ever begin. Thats a very interesting point. If thats true though then they have sum explainin to do. The game of baseball will never be the same cuz of the "Steroid Era" Its my fav sport and everyone who doesnt know much looks down on it now. Makes me sick
Q: How do you tell if there is a spin between bonds in molecules?
how can you tell about electron spins between bonds on the CH4 molecule? For example given the lewis structure of methane (CH4), what are the electron spins between the bonds? I'm a little confused here.
A: hey, when you have 2 electrons in the same orbital, you will always have one spinning up and one spinning down... its about balance, if both electrons were spinning the same direction, they could not stay in they're orbits...
Q: What countries offer bonds to international investors through internet?
I understand that UAE offers national bonds to international inverstors and can be baught by anyone through internet. Are there any other similar bonds available for investment in any other part of the world?
A: if you search the net you may cross over. however, if you are not sure of the investment service providor dont go for it. dont deal with strangers; especially through the net.
Q: what bonds are created during the formation of the primary source of a protein?
i think it is peptide bonds but i have no idea why. so if you could elaborate please.
A: The primary structure of proteins is depend on their sequence of amino acids. It means that the bond created in primary structure of protein is peptide bond.
Q: How would you experimentally compare the hydrogen bonds of ethanol and glycerol?
In other words, how would you prove, using an experiment, that glycerol should have stronger hydrogen bonds than ethanol.
A: Find their boiling points. The alcohol with the higher boiling point will have stronger hydrogen bonds. This is true because it takes more thermal energy to force apart the molecules in the alcohol with the stronger intermolecular forces (e.g hydrogen bonds, London dispersion forces, etc.).
Q: How do you have your 401K currently invested among stocks, bonds, and cash?
Please give your age as well as the percentage breakdown of stocks, bonds, and cash in your 401K. Myself, I am 31 years old and am 50% bonds and 50% cash and 0% stocks. I am trying to get a sampling of how others are investing their company retirement plans. Thanks.
A: I no longer have a 401k. It is all in IRA accounts now. 30% cash, 30% bonds, 40% equities. I am retired. At one time there was a higher % in equities, but that portion of the portfolio has suffered something of a relapse.
Q: How do I sell my corporate bonds at fair market value ?
Last month I bought a corporate bond on Etrade @ 80 and I would like to sell it for 86 as I notice others are asking . However , when I try to sell the bond , the system offers me a bid price only $30 . How do I post the bonds for sell at a decent asking price ?
A: Instead of selling it as a market order, sell it as a limit order.
If the bid is 30, you are unlikely to get 86. Just because others are asking 86 doesn't mean they will get it.
Q: How many years does it take for savings bonds to mature?
I have gotten several savings bonds as gifts since 1991 till 1996. One person told me it takes 18 years for their value to mature and another person told me it only takes a few years.
A: It takes about 15-20 years to fully mature.
Use this web address to see the amount of your bonds.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/BC/SBCPrice
Q: What is the best way to invest savings bonds?
My kids have well meaning grandparents who send savings bonds for birthdays and holidays and I have no idea what to do with them. I have thought about putting them in a mutual fund at some point. Does anyone know what amount of money you have to have to start one up?
A: Most mutual funds require minimum amounts of around $2,000 to $3,000 to open an account. If you're thinking of redeeming the savings bonds and using the money to open a mutual fund account, beware of the early redemption penalty on the bonds (3 months interest). And they cannot be redeemed until they are at least 12 months old. If your kids are under 18, the mutual fund company will want you or another parent to sign the account papers, since the kids won't be old enough to enter into legal contracts themselves.
If the savings bonds are small amounts (like $25 or $50), and the total is nowhere near $2,000 or $3,000, there's nothing wrong with just letting the savings bonds accrue interest. While the interest rates aren't high, they are reliable (because the U.S. government stands behind the bonds). In 15 years time, they'll probably compound into a nontrivial value. Remember the power of compounding (see the webpage listed below). Maybe the bonds can help the kids cover their college expenses.
Q: What's the difference between covalent and hydrogen bonds in DNA?
I'm making a DNA model and I'm not certain about the bonds. Pictures would be nice.
A: The Backbone of each Stand of DNA (Deoxy Sugar) is made up of covalent bonds and the bases A-T C-G are linked together by weaker Hydrogen bonds. These weak bonds allows the two DNA strands to separate to allow for replication. See the link below for an excellent tutorial with animations on this subject