What Arbitrage Bonds Are And How They Work

By Andrew Martin


If one has been scouting through possible investment mediums, then he or she has most likely come across the term arbitrage bond. Now, this is a type of security investment that comes in the form of a debt with a low interest income. The whole fact that arbitrage bonds have a low interest income may put investors off already, but take note of the details to know how advantageous these securities are.

The first thing to know about this kind of bond is that it has a lower interest rate given by the municipality that one stays in. The reason for this is because these securities are given at a much earlier time than the higher interest securities. Once the bond gets enough funding, the municipality will invest in the high interest bond type.

Now, this is actually a strategy that is often used by the municipalities to make use of money from other people so that they can make money on the difference from higher securities. That way, the borrowing rate will be lower than what they would usually incur if they only issue high yielding securities. Usually, they do this when the bond market and the local economy is on the bearish side.

Of course, these securities are not issued by the municipality at random, which is why most investors would ask when exactly these securities will be offered. Now, an investor may have sold a former high yielding bond before maturity date and may want to buy it back. However, he or she cannot buy it back until the new set of high yielding bond type is released on the call date so an arbitrage bond is offered instead.

Now, from the point of view of an investor, there are several benefits to investing in this kind of security. First of all, this type of bond is usually issued when the high interest bonds decline. So even if the high interest securities are not offered at the moment, investors can still take advantage of the drop.

One of the coolest things about this type of bond is that it can be tax exempted given the right circumstance. Yes, it is definitely possible for the profits derived from this security to not have to be under the scrutiny of the IRS, enabling investors to make more profits. However, this only applies if the bond was offered so that the municipality can raise money for a community project.

Once the IRS detects that the bond is just issued to make a profit from the difference, then taxes apply. This is the reason why these kinds of securities must undergo scrutiny. One may also want to take note that if ever the project that the bond is supporting is cancelled or delayed, then the profit will be taxed.

As one can see, there is an advantage for both municipalities and investors to invest in this type of bond. Of course, it is always good to know about the bond before putting money inside. These details should be able to help potential investors.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment