The last column gives the yield to maturity, an interest rate summarizing the bond s overall investment value. See the next section for a fuller explanation. Bid Asked Chg. If you buy a bond at face value, its rate of return, or yield, is just the coupon rate. Many investors, lured by the possibility of quick profits, attempt to speculate on falling interest rates.
Bonds are even trickier to time than stocks.
After all, its possible to find a good company which is obscure and ignored by Wall Street, an therefore undervalued, but rest assured that the folks at the big brokerage houses haven t overlooked the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond. Continental Broker Dealer Corp. For more information, please see our disclaimer , after hours disclaimer , user agreement and risk letter .