ACCT 1A Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Effective Interest Rate, Credit Risk, Accounts Receivable
Document Summary
Bonds are always sold at their market price, which is the amount investors are willing to pay. A bond"s market price is determined by its present value, which equals the present value of the future principal payment plus the present value of the future interest payments. Two interest rates determine the price of a bond: the stated interest rate (or coupon rate) is the actual interest rate of the bond. The stated interest rate determines the amount of interest the borrower pays and the investor receives each year: the market interest rate or effective interest rate, is the rate that investors demand for loaning their money. Any entity may issue bonds with a stated interest rate that differs from the prevailing market interest rate. In fact, the two interest rates often differ because the issuer often has to finalize details of the bond weeks or months before the bonds are actually issued.