Written, signed, unconditional, and unsecured promise by one party (the maker or promisor) to another (the payee or promisee) that commits the maker to pay a specified sum on demand, or on a fixed or a determinable date. Promissory notes (such as bank or currency notes) are negotiable instruments.
The Basics Of Bond Duration. Duration tells investors the length of time it will take a bond's cash flows to repay the investor the price he or she paid for the bond. A bond's duration is stated as a number of years and ...
(A bond's cash flows consist of coupon payments and repayment of capital.) A bond's duration will almost always be shorter than its maturity, with the exception of zero-coupon bonds, for which maturity and duration are equal.