Corporate Bond
Debt issued by a company to raise capital, paying a coupon above Treasuries to compensate investors for credit risk.
A corporate bond is a debt security issued by a company to fund operations, acquisitions, or refinancing. The investor lends to the firm and receives periodic coupons plus principal at maturity. Because a corporation can default — unlike the U.S. Treasury — corporate bonds yield more than same-maturity Treasuries; that extra yield is the credit spread.
Corporate bonds sit above equity in the capital structure, so bondholders are paid before shareholders in bankruptcy, with recovery depending on seniority (secured, senior unsecured, subordinated). They split into investment-grade (BBB-/Baa3 and above) and high-yield (junk) tiers, and may carry call provisions that require yield-to-worst analysis.
The practical takeaway: a corporate bond's price is driven by two forces at once — the Treasury yield (rate risk) and the credit spread (default risk). In a flight to safety, Treasuries can rally while corporate spreads widen, so a corporate bond can fall even as the "risk-free" curve drops.
Related Terms
Bond
A debt instrument in which the issuer borrows money from the buyer and promises to pay periodic interest plus return the principal at maturity.
BeginnerCallable Bond
A bond the issuer can redeem early at a set call price, usually after rates fall — capping the holder's upside and adding reinvestment risk.
IntermediateCredit Default Swap (CDS)
A derivative that pays out if a borrower defaults — effectively insurance on a bond, with its premium acting as a live market price of credit risk.
AdvancedCredit Rating
A graded assessment by agencies like Moody's, S&P, and Fitch of an issuer's ability to repay debt — the standardized scale for default risk.
BeginnerCredit Spread
The yield difference between a corporate (or other non-government) bond and a Treasury of the same maturity — the market's price for credit risk.
IntermediateHigh-Yield Bond
Bonds rated below investment grade (BB+/Ba1 or lower) — offering higher yields to compensate for elevated default risk.
IntermediateInvestment Grade
Bonds rated BBB-/Baa3 or above by major rating agencies — considered low enough default risk for institutional investors and pension funds.
IntermediateMunicipal Bond
Debt issued by U.S. states and local governments, whose interest is typically exempt from federal (and sometimes state) income tax.
IntermediateYield to Worst (YTW)
The lowest yield a bond can deliver across all its possible redemption scenarios — the conservative return assumption for callable bonds.
Intermediate