Bonds & Rates.
Connect interest rates, fixed income, borrowing costs, and the role bonds can play in a portfolio.
Concepts this path covers.
- Interest rates
- Bond basics
- Fixed income risk
Bond duration explained: Why bond prices move when interest rates change
Learn why fixed-rate bond prices and yields move in opposite directions, how duration estimates price sensitivity, and where the shortcut can fail.
Read the guideCoupon rate, current yield, and yield to maturity explained
Learn the difference between coupon rate, current yield, and yield to maturity, with a transparent bond example and the limits of each measure.
Read the guideWhat the yield curve can signal—and what it cannot predict
Learn what a normal, flat, or inverted Treasury yield curve shows, why investors watch it, and why an inversion is not a recession timetable.
Read the guideBond credit risk: ratings are a starting point, not a guarantee
Learn a practical way to evaluate bond credit risk using ratings, issuer finances, covenants, maturity, seniority, and the limits of every shortcut.
Read the guideIndividual bonds vs. bond funds: cash flows, pricing, and reinvestment
Compare individual bonds with bond funds across maturity, cash flows, pricing, diversification, fees, liquidity, and reinvestment risk.
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Short Treasury ETFs compared: SGOV, BIL, and VGSH
Compare SGOV, BIL, and VGSH by Treasury maturity exposure, fees, duration, distributions, liquidity considerations, and reader fit.
Read the comparisonWhy interest rates reach beyond the headlines.
Follow the connection between the cost of borrowing and the decisions people and businesses make.
Read the guideMore investments. Or more of the same?
Why a longer list of holdings does not always mean a broader spread of risk.
Read the guideLook beyond the headline fee.
A practical introduction to the costs of buying, holding, and moving investments.
Read the guideKeep building your understanding across the wider library.
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