Simple Yield Measures

ambient dub techno, new orleans cajun, house roots reggae

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Picture Sarah with a thousand-dollar bond today
Annual coupon brings her eighty every year
Current yield is simple math that lights the way
Divide that eighty by the price - crystal clear
Eight percent emerges when she bought at par
But if the market shifts, those numbers drift afar

[Chorus]
Current yield equals annual coupon over market price
Simple fraction, quick reaction, calculated twice
But YTM runs deeper than the surface gleam
Yield to maturity captures every payment's dream
Time value, final value, rolled into one theme
The truest measure of your bond investing scheme

[Verse 2]
When bonds trade below their face, discount appears
Premium pricing lifts them high above the norm
Current yield ignores the gains across the years
Missing capital appreciation's hidden form
YTM considers every dollar you'll receive
Plus the difference time and compound will achieve

[Chorus]
Current yield equals annual coupon over market price
Simple fraction, quick reaction, calculated twice
But YTM runs deeper than the surface gleam
Yield to maturity captures every payment's dream
Time value, final value, rolled into one theme
The truest measure of your bond investing scheme

[Bridge]
Nine-hundred dollar bond with fifty dollar flow
Current yield shows five point six, but that's not all
YTM includes that hundred profit when you go
To maturity's embrace, answering the call
Discount bonds show YTM higher than current
Premium bonds reverse the current, flow concurrent

[Verse 3]
Professional analysts prefer the YTM
Internal rate of return that equalizes cash
Present value calculation, not a simple stem
Current yield stays surface-level, quick as flash
Both have purpose in your analytical kit
Context determines which measure truly fits

[Chorus]
Current yield equals annual coupon over market price
Simple fraction, quick reaction, calculated twice
But YTM runs deeper than the surface gleam
Yield to maturity captures every payment's dream
Time value, final value, rolled into one theme
The truest measure of your bond investing scheme

[Outro]
Two yields dancing in the market's endless flow
Current for the moment, YTM to grow

← Present Value and Bond Pricing Fundamentals | Yield-to-Maturity Deep Dive →