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 ...
Term to maturity refers to the remaining life of a debt instrument. With bonds, term to maturity is the time between when the bond is issued and when it matures, known as its maturity date, at which time the issuer must redeem the bond by paying the principal or face value. Between the issue date and maturity date, the bond issuer will make coupon payments to the bond holder. BREAKING DOWN 'Term To Maturity' Bonds can be grouped into three broad categories depending on their terms to maturity: short term bonds of 1 to 5 years, intermediate term bonds of 5 to 12 years, and long term bonds of 12 to 30 years.