INTRODUCTION TO FIXED INCOME SECURITIES

An important point to note is that CDs may offer either simple interest or compounded interest. In terms ofyields, compounded interest offers higher returns.In CDs offering compounded interest, there may be variations in frequency of compounding, e.g., monthly,quarterly, yearly. In this case, the more frequent the compounding, the higher the yield from the CD.ISSUE OF CDsBanks or FIs issuing CDs advertise the same and investors can fill in forms to invest in the issue. Minimuminvestment amount is Rs. 1 lakh and incremental investments have to be in multiples of the same.SALIENT FEATURES OF CDsWith returns higher than G-Secs and maturities ranging from short to medium term, CDs are attractiveinvestment options for retail as well as institutional investors. It is important for investors to be aware ofcredit worthiness of bank/FI issuing the CD to understand the risk level of the same.IV. COMMERCIAL PAPERCommercial Papers (CPs) are issued by companies, Primary Dealers (PDs) and other Financial Institutions(FIs) as an acknowledgement of borrowing from the public. CPs allows the companies to raise funds forcurrent or short- term expenses like inventories. According to RBI rules, the entity issuing CPs must have:-Appreciable assets worth more than Rs. 4 crore as per the latest audited balance sheet-Sanctioned working capital by banks or pan India FIs-A borrowable account which is recognized as the Standard Asset of the lender banks or FIs-Minimum credit rating of P-2 by various Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) recognized by RBICPs have a maturity period ranging from 15 days to a maximum of one year, and they cannot be traded inthe secondary market. Interest rates offered on CPs are generally at par with market interest rates and maybe higher depending on the credit rating assigned to the issuer.The minimum investment amount in CPs is Rs. 5 lakhs.13 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

ISSUE AND REDEMPTION OF CPsThe issuance of CP involves the Issuer (company, PD or FI issuing the CP), the Credit Rating Agencies(CRA) and the Issuing and Paying Agent (IPA). The IPA verifies the eligibility of the issuer, and handles thesubscription, issue and redemption of the CPs.SALIENT FEATURES OF CPsLike CDs, CPs offer higher returns than G-Secs and T-Bills and have a short term maturity period. Issuescarrying investment grade credit ratings make attractive investment options, and they are usually preferredby short term debt funds. The only drawback is lack of liquidity since they cannot be traded on thesecondary markets.V. BONDSBonds, or debentures, are issued by companies and financial institutions as a means of raising money fromthe markets in the form of loans. The bond holder receives a certificate as an acknowledgment of the bondpurchase. The value and frequency of the coupon payment which is the interest on the bond is predetermined by the issuer.Maturity period of bonds is generally between five to seven years. At the end of maturity the bondholderreceives the principal investment known as the par value of the bond. Some bonds may also carry additionalbenefits like „call‟ or „conversion‟ options. The call option allows an investor to redeem the bond earlierthan its maturity. The „conversion‟ option allows the investor to convert his bond holdings into shares of theissuer.Bonds are also traded in the secondary markets, though the volumes are not very high as most investors holdbonds up to maturity.TYPES OF BONDS1. Fixed rate bonds: This is a long-term debt paper that carries a predetermined interest rate. Theserates do not change during the maturity of the bond.14 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

2. Floating rate bonds: They come with variable coupons, usually a spread with respect to a referencerate. For example, in India, some floating bonds have a coupon rate of the Mumbai interbank offerrate (MIBOR) 45 basis points. It means that the coupon amount will change according to theprevailing MIBOR at the time of coupon payment.3. Zero Coupon Bonds: These bonds do not carry any interest rate; they are issued at a deep discountto their face value and are redeemed at face value.ISSUE OF BONDSPublic issue of bonds by a company is similar to equity IPOs. Advertisements and circulars are issued by thecompany to inform investors of the upcoming issue. Banks or FIs function as intermediaries to manage thesubscription and allocation of the issue.SALIENT FEATURES OF BONDSBonds offer investors higher returns than government securities. Bond issues by companies with high creditratings offer investors a stable and attractive long term investment option.15 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

D. INTRODUCTION TO DEBT MUTUAL FUNDSSo far we have seen a detailed explanation of the Debt asset class, the potential risks and returns from it, aswell as the various securities that comprise this asset class. The objective has been to help you make aneducated choice when it comes to including debt mutual funds in your investment portfolio.WHY DEBT MUTUAL FUNDSDirect investment into debt securities is not really an option for retail investors as the debt market in India isnot very conducive. Retail investors usually face the following issues in the debt markets:1. Minimum investment amounts for debt securities are usually very high2. Primary market for debt securities is not as accessible as equity; also not very easy to evaluateperformance and risks3. Many debt securities cannot be traded in the secondary markets making the investments illiquidAt the same time, debt investments form a critical part of portfolios as they hedge risks and offer stability.This is where debt mutual funds form an ideal selection for retail investors. Debt mutual funds:a. Offer investors lower initial investment amountsb. Are easy to study, compare and buyc. Can be easily exited at the current NAV price of the fund16 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

Some more reasons why debt mutual funds are more appropriate for retail investors:Debt FundsDebt SecuritiesAre professionally managedRequire understanding of security type,issuer credibility, interest regime, etc.Invest in multiple debt securities of varyingmaturities and coupons offering adiversified and less risky portfolioRequire complete lumpsum investment inone security offering less risk protectionOffer redemption at NAVMay lead to losses on sale in case ofchange in market price or on redemption inthe case of rising interest ratesOffer regular dividend incomeOffer regular interest paymentTYPES OF DEBT MUTUAL FUNDSA. Liquid or Money Market Debt FundsThese funds offer an attractive avenue for parking funds for a few days or weeks as they can be exited at anytime and offer better returns than traditional bank accounts.Liquid funds invest in short term securities like T-bills, CPs, etc., having a maturity of maximum 91 days.They are therefore ideal for corporate entities looking at placing short term funds. Liquid funds are also well17 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

suited to individuals earning more than Rs. 5 lakhs per annum as dividends earned from liquid funds are taxfree, whereas interest earned from savings bank accounts is taxed.B. Ultra Short Term FundsThese funds invest money for one year. They have a higher degree of risk attached to them than the liquidfunds. Simultaneously, they provide higher returns to the investor. Investors with a time horizon of fewmonths can park their money in this category of funds.C. Floating Rate FundsThese funds have a variable rate of interest attached to them as they invest in floating debt securities with amaturity of one year. The rate of interest on these securities changes with respect to current market rates.Therefore, Floating Rate funds prove to be a better investment option than other debt funds if market interestrates are expected to go up.D. Short Term FundsShort Term Funds invest in debt securities rated as AAA or AA with maturity between 15-18 months. Themarket rate hikes do not impact these funds greatly. They are suited for investors looking to invest for 1-2years.E. GILT FundsThese funds invest in government securities issued by the RBI. These securities carry no default risk as theyare backed by the sovereign and therefore, are rated as SOV. However, they do get mildly affected bymarket rates.GILT funds invest in short term or long term securities having a maturity of few days to 30 years dependingon the investment scheme.F. Monthly Income Plans (MIPs)MIPs are hybrid investment funds investing up to 15% in equities and the rest in debt securities. Theobjective is to provide regular income to the investors. Therefore, they form an investment option forinvestors looking for regular income rather than capital appreciation. However, the income in these funds is18 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

not guaranteed and is dependent on the amount of distributable income present. Therefore, the fund is ableto provide returns only in the case of surplus distributable income present.G. Dynamic Bond FundsThese are actively managed funds tapping into all the opportunities present in the market like inflation,liquidity change or changes in monetary policy to obtain returns. They also use inefficiency and volatility inthe debt market to obtain returns. These funds invest in debt securities with any maturity and invest acrossthe yield curve.ConclusionIn this section we see that mutual funds offer retail investors attractive options to invest in debt securities,based on their preferred maturity, risk and desired return type (regular income or capital appreciation). Apartfrom making debt securities accessible to investors, they also offer the advantages of professionalmanagement making their investments safer and more diversified, tax free dividend income, and an overallhedge to other risky investments.19 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

E. TYPES OF RISKSRisk can be defined as the possibility of incurring a loss on an investment. An investment is deemed as riskif the returns are variable or may result in capital erosion.In this section, we elaborate on the different risks associated with debt funds.Interest Rate Risk:The fluctuation in the bond price due to movement in interest rates.As a rule of thumb, when interest rates go up, the value of a bond goes down.We can illustrate this with an example:Let us say, the interest rate stands at 4%. A bond with a coupon rate of 4% and face value of INR 1000 islikely to sell at par value. This is because a buyer of this bond will be indifferent to buying this bond andsaving directly with a bank.If the interest rate surges by 100 basis points (bps) to 5%, then bondholders with a 4% coupon rate are morelikely sell the bond and keep the money with a bank account instead. This selling pressure will adjust bondprices downwards. Hence, at higher interest rates, bond prices will generally be lower.20 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

Similarly, if interest rates drop to 3%, the 4% bond coupon rate is more attractive and buyers will startpurchasing this bond instead. The buying pressures will adjust the bond prices upwards. Hence, at lowerinterest rates, bond prices will generally be higher.Interest Rate Risk and Fixed Income Mutual FundsSince a debt fund mainly consists of bonds as its underlying assets, the portfolio value of a debt mutual fundwill also react in a similar manner to interest rate changes. However, a debt mutual fund is diversified intofixed income securities of varying maturities and coupon rate. Hence, a debt fund is less subject to interestrate risk as compared to an individual bond.Typically, long-term fixed income securities are affected more than the short natured ones if the interestrates go up. This is because the holder of the bond will received lower coupon payments over an extendedperiod of time as compared to the short term bond which can be easily reinvested at higher rates. Thus,investors should be cautious while investing in long-term debt funds such as GILT and Income funds in arising interest rate scenario. On the contrary, the bond price for a long-term bond will go up, resulting incapital gain if the interest rates prevailing in the market fall.Credit Risk:The possibility of a bond issuer failing to repay the principal and interest in a timely manner is known ascredit or default risk. In India, there are few credit rating agencies that provide rating service for bonds. Thecredit rating agency evaluates the credit worthiness of a company or an individual considering a variety offactors like their assets, liabilities, past history etc.A typical rating system is shown in the table below:21 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

Typical Credit Rating SystemAAAHighest SafetyAAHigh SafetyAAdequate SafetyBBBModerate SafetyBBInadequate SafetyBHigh RiskCSubstantial RiskDDefault or Expected to DefaultCredit Risk and Fixed Income Mutual FundsThe debt funds provide a breakdown of their portfolio holding regularly in the monthly factsheets. Typically,the fund should have minimal exposure to unrated securities. Sometimes, a particular fund generatesexceptionally high returns over other funds belonging to the same category. It may be due to higherallocation to low rated papers. Hence, an investor can keep a tab of the credit portfolio of a fund whileinvesting for safety and stability.Ratings Downgrade Risk:The risk that the bonds would be downgraded by credit rating agencies.It is also important for an investor to keep tab of the credit ratings issued by agencies as the returns areproportional to the current rating of the bond.For Example:A triple-A rated bond with a 6% coupon currently sells at INR1000. Some investors may invest in the bondbecause of its triple-A rating, considering the highest rating of safety.The revised rating is triple-B, the risk-return ratio that was once attractive for current bondholders, will nowbecome unattractive as the risk has increased without any increase in returns. Holders of this bond will sellthe bond, causing downward pressure on the bond price.22 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

Ratings downgrade and Fixed Income FundsA debt fund portfolio is exposed tothis form of risk when the rating of theunderlying bonds forming a largepart of the portfolio is downgraded.Downgrade risk can be offset partially by diversification.Yield Curve Risk:The yield curve shows the relationship between the cost of borrowing and the maturity of the debt papers ofequal credit quality. The expected yield of bonds of a particular credit quality is expected to follow the yieldcurve. The risk here is depicted by the steepening or the flattening of the curve as a result of changing yield amongcomparable bonds with different maturities.A yield curve representing India Government Bonds is shown in the chart. The duration where the curvebecomes flattened (example: in red between the duration 3M-1Yr) the investor gets lower yields as themarket rates fall and the investors go in for long term instruments in comparison to short term. Similarly, inthe case of the duration where the curve steepens (example: between 5Y -9Y)with high market rates theinvestors go in for shorter term instruments in comparison to long term ones which results in curvesteepening.23 2011 iFAST Financial India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved

Yield Curve Risk and Fixed Income FundsThe shifts in a yield curve risk define the way the debt fund portfolio reacts to market rate fluctuations. Thisreaction of the portfolio is indicative of the returns achieved by an investor on his portfolio. This happens asthe shift in a yield curve, simultaneously causes a change in the bond priced which are in accordance withthe former yield curve.Therefore, with high market rates investors prefer shorter term debt instruments in comparison to long term.At the same time, the issuer would try to sell long term instruments before the increase in market rates. Thisresults in an increase at the long end of the curve resulting in steepening the curve.When the market rates are expected to fall investors prefer longer term instruments in order to safely lock intheir money. Therefore, the price of longer term instruments rise eroding yields. Similarly, the issuer wantsto sell shorter term instruments so that he has to pay the higher interest rates for a shorter duration. Thisresults in a flattened yield curve.Reinvestment Risk:The reinvestment risk applies to the risk of achieving lower returns on an investment than before. This riskis apparent more in the case of callable bonds. As the issuer can call these bonds back before maturity and itmay happen that the reissued bond may not provide the same returns to the investor as the previous one.This is more obvious in the case of bonds with lower credit rating. Therefore, it is necessary for an investorto check the credit rating of the bonds before purchasing it. At the same time, the callable bonds providehigher returns to an investor as a result of the reinvestment risk associated with them.Reinvestment Risk and Fixed Income FundsThis happens when the debt fund has underlying bonds with varying maturities, coupon rates and yields.Whenever, the fund receives coupon payments or proceeds from maturing bonds, the manager looks forother similar alternatives to invest these proceeds. However, there lies a possibility that the fund manager isunable to find an attractive alternative that provides similar yields than the previous one.The fixed income funds having a short term maturity are more prone to this risk. As in this case, the timehorizon available to the fund manger to find an alternative is less. Similarly, bond funds carrying frequentcoupon payments like on quarterly basis are also prone to this risk as the fund manager has to frequentlylook for alternatives.ConclusionIt is imperative for investors of debt funds to be aware of these risks as bond funds are exposed to these fivemain risks. An investor armed with this knowledge is capable to unde

TYPES OF FIXED INCOME SECURITIES The types of Fixed Income securities are based on their issuance, i.e., by the government, banks or financial institutions or by the corporate sector. ADVANTAGES OF FIXED INCOME SECURITIES 1. Lower volatility than other asset classes providing stable returns. 2. Higher returns than traditional bank fixed .