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Most debt securities are traded over-the-counter, with much of the trading now
conducted electronically. The total dollar value of trades conducted daily in the debt
markets is much larger than that of stocks, as debt securities are held by many
large institutional investors as well as governments and non-profit organizations.
Debt securities on the whole are safer investments than equity securities, but riskier
than cash. Debt securities get their measure of safety by having a principal amount
that is returned to the lender at the maturity date or upon the sale of the security.
They are typically classified and grouped by their level of default risk, the type of
issuer and income payment cycles.
Definition of 'Bond'
A debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity (corporate or governmental)
that borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a fixed interest rate. Bonds are used by
companies, municipalities, states and U.S. and foreign governments to finance a variety of
projects and activities.
Bonds are commonly referred to as fixed-income securities and are one of the three main asset
classes, along with stocks and cash equivalents.
Definition of 'Debenture'
A type of debt instrument that is not secured by physical assets or collateral. Debentures are
backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the issuer. Both corporations and
governments frequently issue this type of bond in order to secure capital. Like other types of
bonds, debentures are documented in an indenture.
positions in the company. This kind of secondary offering is common in the years
following an IPO, after the termination of the lock-up period. Owners of closely held
companies sell shares to loosen their position - usually gradually, so that the company's
share price doesn't plummet as a result of high selling volume. This kind of offering does
not increase the number of shares of stock on the market, and it is most commonly
performed in the case of a company that is very thinly traded. Secondary offerings of this
sort do not dilute owners' holdings, and no new shares are released. There is no "new"
underwriting process in this kind of offering.