Bank Fixed Deposit: One of the most preferred investments of all times is a bank fixed deposit in India. This instrument claims to protect the investor’s capital and provide regular income on it. However, the rate of return has become competitive in the last few years, which makes this investment hard to beat inflation.
Corporate bonds: Similar to the bank FDs, investors can lend their capital to the company in return for enhanced interest rates. In this, there are many choices available from AAA rated to junk bonds depending on the quality. It becomes pertinent for the investor to select quality bonds.
Mutual funds in the form of debt or liquid: The type of mutual fund which invests in the corporate debt or government securities. They provide a much higher interest rate in comparison with bank FDs. Apart from this, an investor can also gain from the bond price appreciation when interest rates fall.
For the short time horizon investors, liquid funds make more sense than debt funds. Here, the funds can be parked for the matching period and earn higher returns.
Arbitrage Funds: The type of mutual fund which invests in the equity market by locking in any visible arbitrage opportunity. This can be done by locking the spot and future price and realizing the yield either by reversing or rolling over the future position.
What are the benefits of investing in fixed-income securities?
Investors can preserve their capital by investing in such securities. This is the low-risk investment where the invested capital is bound to be returned within a specific time horizon.
These securities also help in creating a steady source of cash flow to the investor. Almost all the products from bank deposits to corporate FDs to debt mutual funds pay a certain amount of fixed return along with dividend rates.
They are positioned higher in the capital structure of a company. This means, in times of bankruptcy, the bond investor will be paid higher in priority than a preferred stock or common equity investor.