Management fees are what you pay a mutual fund manager to invest your money. Volatility is how much the price of a bond changes for a given movement in yield. Performance is what your investments return. Spread is the difference between the bid side and the offered side of a bond quotation. The shorter the bond and the higher the quality of the bond, the closer or 'tighter' the bid-ask spread.
Benchmark issues trade tighter than other bonds.
Small corporate bond issues with little float may not even have a two-sided market. The spread thus incorporates a trader's feel for how quickly a bond may be sold. Leverage refers to buying bonds on margin. Long Canadas are marginable at five per cent for investment dealers and typically 10 per cent for individuals. Amortization refers to the process where, as time passes, your fixed income investment moves inexorably to its face value or maturing value.