Terms of Use Bonds are financial instruments where a bond issuer , such as the US federal government or a company, is borrowing money. Essentially bonds are just loans. Bonds purchasers, called bondholders , can be individuals, companies and governments. When you buy a bond you are loaning the bond issuer money. Interest payments are made to bondholders based on the rate, payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) and for the term (6 months, 1 year, 10 years, 30 years, etc.)
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