This American expression originally comes from gambling, where the highest value chips were coloured blue. Today, the term is used to denote a sound form of investment, usually in large companies. Most of the companies in the FTSE 100 Index of the UK's biggest groups are considered to be blue chips. A bond is essentially a loan. Bondholders lend money to governments or companies and are promised a certain rate of interest in return.
Interest rates vary depending on the quality or reliability of the bond issuer.
Government bonds, or gilts , for example, carry little risk and thus offer lower interest rates. Once attached to a policy, a bonus cannot be withdrawn. The French word for stock exchange - although it is sometimes used as a label for other stockmarkets. One who sells financial products. Be it in insurance, pensions or shares, most brokers work under compensation structures that are at direct odds with the greatest good of their clients.