Zero-Coupon Bond

Categories: Bonds, Muni Bonds

This ain’t your mom’s grocery store coupons.

When we’re talking bonds, “coupons” are the regular interest payments you get from owning a bond. They’re usually not much compared to stocks, but that’s what you get for buying a safer security.

Hold up...why would someone buy a bond that gives out zero interest payments? Well, zero coupon bonds are sold at a discounted price. Basically, they’re on sale. Mom would be on board.

Over time, the bonds will finish appreciating to reach their face value, at which point they're sold. So it’s like buying some soda on sale, then selling it back to the public after it stops being on sale, at its original price.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is a zero coupon bond?15 Views

00:00

Finance allah shmoop What is a zero coupon bond After

00:07

all this time our hero remains zero Yeah dude all

00:12

right well there was a whole song about him and

00:13

your parentsgeneration Just ask him The coupon on a bond

00:17

is its dividend or yield payment also known as the

00:21

rent paid by the corporation or government or individual who's

00:24

Borrowing that money sofa bond has zero coupon Does that

00:27

mean the rental of that capital is free Uh no

00:31

not at all Isiro coupon bond with par value of

00:37

a thousand might sell initially for say seven hundred twenty

00:41

dollars iy a big discount to that grand the bonds

00:44

interest is on ly paid cumulatively at the very end

00:50

when the person who loaned the seven hundred twenty dollars

00:53

gets his grand back that's it it's a one time

00:55

payment of a thousand bucks so many years later like

00:58

a decade of that bond yielding a bit over three

01:01

point three percent if you did the math of compounding

01:04

well this is what it would look like Note that

01:07

the amount owed at the end of the year is

01:09

mohr than what was owed the previous year and that

01:13

the interest is charged than on that amount Well in

01:16

real life these calculations are done twice a year with

01:19

bonds that is every six months the interest rates are

01:21

charged Zero coupon bonds yield notably more than normal bonds

01:25

which pay interests every six months Why Why With zero

01:29

coupon bonds yield mohr risk in paying some interest at

01:33

least some each six month period Well the bondholders getting

01:37

something back along the way and over time the interest

01:40

payments can be More than the principal loaned itself So

01:43

with zero coupon bonds Well there's Just a one time

01:47

payment at the very end So you'd better hope the

01:50

person showing you that money doesn't You know just decide

01:54

to skip town a week before the principal and interest

01:56

combined Or do speaking of which i've got a flight 00:02:00.288 --> [endTime] to catch No

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)