When we invest in corporate bonds, we are lending money to a company in return for interest payment, as well as to return our principal when the bond matures. In Singapore, bonds are an important asset class allowing investors to diversify from having just stocks or property investments in their portfolios.
Read Also: Step-By-Step Guide To Bond Investing In Singapore
In this article, we will delve deeper into how to start investing in corporate bonds in Singapore. Of course, the most popular type of bond is a government bond.
What Are Corporate Bonds?
As the name suggests, corporate bonds are issued by companies. When we invest in corporate bonds, we are lending our money to these companies. In return, the company is obligated to pay us an interest payment and usually return our principal investment when the bond matures. Typically, the riskier the company, the higher the interest it has to pay to attract investors.
Once we lend our money to the company, it is usually used to pay off other expiring debt obligations they have, higher-interest debt, purchasing new properties or assets for the business, acquiring another business or investing in new products and many others.
Most corporate bonds typically make semi-annual coupon payments every six months, and return our entire principal only at the end of the tenure of the bond.
Read Also: Bond Investing 101: The Different Types Of Bond Investments You Can Make In Singapore
What Determines The Interest Rates On Corporate Bonds?
Credit Quality Of Bond Issuer:
As mentioned, higher-risk companies have to pay more interest to attract us to invest in their bonds. The logic is simple – given equal interest rates, investors will always choose to lend our money to companies that are less likely to default on the payments.
Bonds issued by the government of Singapore offer a benchmark risk-free rate, and companies have to issue their bonds at a premium to it. This is called the yield spread.
One way to determine the riskiness of a company is to simply look at its business. A large international company like DBS or a government-linked entity like PSA International will likely pay much lower interest than even strong private companies. In turn, strong private companies will likely pay a lower interest return than smaller and riskier companies.
While simply looking at the strength of the company gives us a good estimate of its riskiness, this is a rudimentary way to determine the riskiness of a company’s bond. Another way we can go about doing so is by looking at its credit rating. Global credit ratings agencies like Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s analyse bonds (and companies) to provide a credit rating. While this is a better way to determine the riskiness of a bond, the reality is that not all corporate bonds are rated.
Read Also: [2023 Edition] Complete Guide To Buying Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB)
Maturity:
Typically, the longer we have to wait before receiving our principal, the higher the interest rates we expect to receive.
One way to look at it is to imagine the same company issues two bonds – a 1-year bond and a 10-year bond. Even though it is the same company, there is a higher risk that the company deteriorates in creditworthiness or run into financial difficulties over a 10-year period compared to a 1-year period.
Interest Rate Environment:
To understand this, we have to compare the yield spread on the risk-free rate.
Consider this imaginary (but far-fetched) situation, the SGS bonds start paying 10% interest on its 10-year bonds tomorrow. Even the strongest companies like DBS and PSA International have to pay a higher interest rate if they want to issue a bond. This is because the risk-free rate has climbed, and they have to pay a premium over the risk-free rate because there is a greater risk they run into financial difficulties than the Singapore government.
As interest rates are climbing today, you can expect to receive a higher return when lending your money to companies.
Read Also: 5 Terms You Need To Understand Before Investing In Bonds
Should You Invest In A Company’s Bonds Or Stocks?
When we invest in a company’s bonds, we are merely lending the company some money over a period of time in exchange for interest payments. Choosing to invest in a company’s stock means we become part-owners of the business.
Read Also: After Identifying A Good Company, Should You Consider Investing In Its Stocks Or Bonds (Or Both)?
There are several reasons we may choose to buy a company’s bonds rather than its stocks:
#1 We Receive Our Coupon Payments Regardless Of The Financial Performance Of The Company
Whether a company makes a profit or loss, we will still take our rightful interest payment. However, if we are investing in a company, we typically only receive dividends from a company if it has strong cash flows and is profitable. On the flipside of this argument, we cannot participate in the growth of the company by just investing in its bonds.
#2 We Are Able To Preserve Our Capital In Downturns
As our principal and interest payments are guaranteed, bonds prices fluctuate less than stock prices, especially in an economic crash. This is also why many investors think that bonds are a safer investment than stocks, which usually experience more volatility during downturns.
#3 Greater Visibility In Payment Structures
We are able to predict when, and for how long, our interest payments will be made, and when our principal will be returned. This enables us to make concrete plans to use our funds at a future date. This reliability in knowing exactly when and how much we will receive is hard to come by in other asset classes.
#4 Enjoy Superior Legal Claims To Company’s Assets
When a company enters into financial difficulties, bond investors have superior legal claims to a company’s assets. Typically, stock investors will only be able to get their money after bond investors and other creditors are paid. Note that bond investors should not invest just based on this point, as there have been high-profile cases (like Hyflux and Swiber) of companies only able to repay a small fraction of the principal amount owed.
#5 Diversify Our Portfolio
We could also choose to buy bonds over more stocks to diversify our portfolio with a less volatile asset class.
Read Also: 4 Reasons Why Some Investors Choose Bonds Over Stocks
How To Buy Corporate Bonds?
Similar to investing in stocks, there are two ways to invest in bonds – via new bond issues or on secondary markets.
OTC Markets:
Unlike stocks, many corporate bonds are typically sold on Over-The-Counter (OTC) markets. This means you have to get a relationship manager at the bank to help you make such transactions. Alternatively, we could do this our own by utilising platforms like FSMOne or dollarDEX to invest in bonds and bond funds.
We can also leverage platforms like Bondsupermart to find out more information about the different types of corporate bonds that are available on the secondary market. The platform offers features that can filter our results based on the currency of the bond, yield to maturity, years to maturity, and bond type.
Read Also: Are Bonds A Good Investment During A Recession?
Retail Bonds:
Retail bonds are a smaller group of bonds that we can invest in similar to how we buy and sell stocks – on the exchange. Here is the list of all the retail bonds listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). When retail bonds are first issued, we can purchase them via ATMs (similar to how we would invest in a new IPO). We can also buy and sell these bonds on SGX like stocks.
Through this, we can gain access to quasi-government companies such as Temasek Holdings’ bond issue as well as Astrea VI and Astrea 7, enabling us to access private equity.
Bond ETFs:
Bond ETFs are listed on the SGX, and we can buy and sell them similar to stocks and retail bonds.
The first corporate bond ETF, Nikko AM Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF, was listed on SGX in August 2018. It mainly comprises bonds that are issued by government-linked companies, statutory boards, Singapore companies and foreign companies. On its factsheet, it states the latest (March 2023) weighted average yield to maturity is at 4.48% with a weighted average duration of 6.05 years. As you can tell, this is somewhat higher than government bonds, even though it is comprised of very large and safe companies.
Read Also: Step-By-Step Guide To ETF Investing In Singapore
Pros And Cons Of Corporate Bonds
| Characteristics | Pros | Cons |
| Yield | – Higher than government bonds and bank deposits | – Typically lower than stocks |
| Payments | – Principal and interest payments are guaranteed – High visibility of when interests and principal will be paid – Payments are made regardless of profitability – Higher priority when company runs into financial difficulties |
– Cannot participate in upside of a company |
| Risk | – Typically riskier than government bonds – Can view credit ratings to determine if it is worth investing in |
– In economic downturns, even the highest-rated bonds can default |
| Diversification | – Offers diversification away from stocks and government bonds – Offers ability to invest in non-listed companies – Offers exposure to wide range of industries – Bond ETFs offer even wider diversification |
– Still exposed to the same countries, industries, companies if invested in a company’s stock and bond |
| Liquidity | – Can trade certain bonds on the SGX – Can buy and sell on OTC markets |
– Limited ability to trade on SGX, as most bonds are sold on OTC markets – Many corporate bonds are still denominated in minimum bands of $100,000 or $250,000 – Have to wait close to 10 years before majority of corporate bonds mature |
This article was first published on 29 October 2018 and been updated to include the latest information.
The post Complete Guide To Investing In Corporate Bonds In Singapore appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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