Bonds Valuation by Gitman
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Interest Rates and Required Returns
As noted in Chapter 2, financial institutions and markets create the mechanism through which funds flow between savers (funds suppliers) and borrowers (funds demanders). All else being equal, savers would like to earn as much interest as possible, and borrowers would like to pay as little as possible. The interest rate prevailing in the market at any given time reflects the equilibrium between savers and borrowers.
INTEREST RATE FUNDAMENTALS
The interest rate or required return represents the cost of money. It is the compensation that a supplier of funds expects and a demander of funds must pay. Usually the term interest rate is applied to debt instruments such as bank loans or bonds, and the term required return is applied to equity investments, such as common stock, that give the investor an ownership stake in the issuer. In fact, the meaning of these two terms is quite similar because, in both cases, the supplier is compensated for providing funds to the demander.
A variety of factors can influence the equilibrium interest rate. One factor is inflation, a rising trend in the prices of most goods and services. Typically, savers demand higher returns (that is, higher interest rates) when inflation is high because they want their investments to more than keep pace with rising prices. A second factor influencing interest rates is risk. When people perceive that a particular investment is riskier, they will expect a higher return on that investment as compensation for bearing the risk. A third factor that can affect the interest rate is a liquidity preference among investors. The term liquidity preference refers to the general tendency of investors to prefer short-term securities (that is, securities that are more liquid). If, all other things being equal, investors would prefer to buy short-term rather than long-term securities, interest rates on short-term instruments such as Treasury bills will be lower than
Interest Rates and Required Returns
As noted in Chapter 2, financial institutions and markets create the mechanism through which funds flow between savers (funds suppliers) and borrowers (funds demanders). All else being equal, savers would like to earn as much interest as possible, and borrowers would like to pay as little as possible. The interest rate prevailing in the market at any given time reflects the equilibrium between savers and borrowers.
INTEREST RATE FUNDAMENTALS
The interest rate or required return represents the cost of money. It is the compensation that a supplier of funds expects and a demander of funds must pay. Usually the term interest rate is applied to debt instruments such as bank loans or bonds, and the term required return is applied to equity investments, such as common stock, that give the investor an ownership stake in the issuer. In fact, the meaning of these two terms is quite similar because, in both cases, the supplier is compensated for providing funds to the demander.
A variety of factors can influence the equilibrium interest rate. One factor is inflation, a rising trend in the prices of most goods and services. Typically, savers demand higher returns (that is, higher interest rates) when inflation is high because they want their investments to more than keep pace with rising prices. A second factor influencing interest rates is risk. When people perceive that a particular investment is riskier, they will expect a higher return on that investment as compensation for bearing the risk. A third factor that can affect the interest rate is a liquidity preference among investors. The term liquidity preference refers to the general tendency of investors to prefer short-term securities (that is, securities that are more liquid). If, all other things being equal, investors would prefer to buy short-term rather than long-term securities, interest rates on short-term instruments such as Treasury bills will be lower than