Series 79: Bond Points And Basis Points

Bond Points and Basis Points

Bonds are quoted in the market in terms of their price and their yield to maturity. A bond “quote” just means the price at which a bond is trading, that is, its market price. The market price for bonds is quoted as a percentage of the bond’s par value. Percentages are expressed in terms of bond points. A bond point represents one hundredth, or 1%, of par. Thus, 10 bond points is 10% of par, and 5 bond points is 5% of par. Because corporate bonds typically have a par value of $1,000, 1 bond point is equal to $10.

Corporate bonds are typically quoted in increments of one-eighth (see first two examples, following). They may also be quoted in decimals of bond points (see third example, following).