Jonathon Silver, CFA, has a client, Alyce Grossberg, whose only current investment requirement is that she wants to buy a premium bond. The required market yield is currently 7.25% at all maturities. Which of the following $1,000 face value bonds should Silver select for Grossberg’s portfolio? A
A) |
15-year, zero-coupon bond priced to yield 9.00%. | |
B) |
10-year, 8.00% semi-annual coupon bond. | |
C) |
10-year, 7.00% semi-annual coupon bond. | |
A bond sells at a premium when the coupon rate is greater than the required market yield. Here, the 10-year, 8.00% semi-annual coupon bond would sell above par, or at a premium.
The 15-year, zero-coupon bond priced to yield 9.00% would sell at a discount. Zero-coupon bonds sell at a discount from par, because they pay no coupon. (Coupon rate = 0.00%.) The 10-year, 7.00% semi-annual coupon bond would also sell at a discount, because the coupon rate is less than the required market yield. Note: The information that this is an annual coupon bond is not relevant for this question.
For the examination, remember the following relationships:
Type of Bond |
Market Yield to Coupon |
Price to Par |
Premium |
Market Yield < Coupon |
Price> Par |
Par |
Market Yield = Coupon |
Price = Par |
Discount |
Market Yield> Coupon |
Price < Par |
|