Bonds

Antique bond

When you buy bonds, you are lending money either to an organisation or a government, who will pay you regular interest. The less creditworthy the borrower, the higher the interest rate - or yield - you should expect.

Recent articles (3)

Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown © Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Could a bond market shock start in Britain?

(20 November 09)

Our public finances are in a mess. So far the markets have been kind and gilt yields have remained low. But if the government doesn't act soon, investors' patience may run out. John Stepek explains how that could happen and what it could mean.

Rocky ride for Japan's government bonds

(20 November 09)

Japanese government bond yields have been very unsettled recently as fears grow over whether the new government will get a grip on public spending.

Will the government bond market blow up?

(20 November 09)

Because of how governments and central banks responded to the financial crisis, debt, bail-outs and stimulus programmes are putting pressure on the bond market. So is it heading for disaster and what would the consequences be for the wider economy? David Stevenson reports.