Describe the information that you received from the quote of the bond. Explain each number and symbol that appears in the bond quotation.

A bond quotation is a financial term used to describe the current market value of a bond. It provides investors with information about the price and yield of a specific bond, as well as other important characteristics. A typical quote includes four components: bid price, ask price, coupon rate, and maturity date.

The bid price (“Bid”) is the highest price that an investor is willing to pay for a particular bond at any given time. This number indicates how much of an investment return potential buyers are expecting from this bond in order to make their purchase worthwhile. The ask price (“Ask”) is the lowest asking price for which someone might be willing to sell their bonds at any given moment. It reflects how urgently an investor wants to dispose of their holdings or liquidate their position in that particular security.

The coupon rate (“Coupon Rate”), also known as the interest rate, denotes what percentage of return investors would receive if they held on to these bonds until they mature. Most corporate bonds have fixed coupon rates while government-issued debt securities come with variable coupons depending on prevailing economic conditions at the time of issuance or sale.

Finally, the maturity date (“Maturity Date”) tells us when that particular bond will reach its full face value and cease accruing interest payments unless it has been refinanced through another entity prior to reaching its expiration date. For corporate bonds specifically, typically this period ranges anywhere between 10 years up to 30 years or longer depending on market conditions and risk tolerance levels among buyers/sellers within those markets.