HOUSEKEEPING
“What You Should Know” on bonds
With interest rates coming down and the stock market vacillating, many investors are turning to the bond market for diversification and balance. While it’s a good idea, it’s important to understand bond basics before going in that direction.
One place to get that understanding is at , the site of the Bond Market Association. There, the “Investor’s Checklist” – part of a comprehensive “What You Should Know” section – will walk you through some very basic questions and provide perspective on your answers. Armed with that perspective and a knowledge of how you want to invest in bonds, you can then pursue sensible fixed-income investment strategies.
The site also features investors guides to most types of bonds, from Treasury securities to corporate, municipal and zero-coupon bonds.
SHORT COURSE
Some data deleted when tape is late
This is a situation that arises in days of heavy trading, where the volume of transactions is so big that the consolidated ticker is running more than a minute behind when the actual trades are being executed at the stock exchange.
When trading volume reaches this level, some price digits may be deleted – then volume numbers will be deleted – in order to allow more trades to make the tape quickly.
The consolidated ticker will not run faster than 900 characters per second, which is believed to be the maximum speed at which the human eye can take in and process information.
