We endorse a buy-and-hold strategy for bonds because, when following such a strategy, you only need to make one right decision: when to buy. With high-quality bonds, the variations in a bond’s price while you hold it are not a serious concern because, unless there is a default, you will be paid both your scheduled interest and the face value of the bond at its due date. 
Long-term bonds experience greater price swings and thus more visceral discomfort than shorter-term bonds, but the ups and downs of a bond’s price should not matter to you if you can hold the bond until it comes due at face value. When you trade bonds, however, you must make two right decisions to be successful: when to buy and when to sell.
We recommend to investors that they avoid market timing and leave this activity to traders who move big positions and watch the trading action all day, every day. Making one right decision of this nature is hard enough; making two is a risky choice. Of course, there are exceptions to a buy-and-hold strategy. There are certain times when it may be financially necessary or strategically advantageous for you to buy or sell bonds.
Understanding the implications of different yield curves, placed in the context of your own particular needs, can provide insight into bond market opportunities. The yield curve can also help you compare one bond to another and decide which specific maturities, among the many alternatives available in the market, make sense for you to buy.
As an international brokerage, you can rely on us to place bonds in multiple territories via our expanding trader’s network. We are able to make sure the bonds you require will conform to local practice and support your objectives. In many countries, our bonds are accepted as an alternative to traditional bank guarantees.
We are able to assist with many local regulatory or mandatory bond requirements in numerous jurisdictions outside of the European Union. Our solutions include a wide range of different customs bonds and duty deferment guarantees, allowing the efficient issuing of locally fronted bonds and guarantees.
Bonds are debt securities, much like IOU’s. When you buy a bond, you’re loaning money to a bond issuer such as a corporation, government or municipality. In return for your investment, you receive regular interest payments usually based on a fixed annual rate until a stated maturity date is reached. Bonds are affected by interest rates, so the price of bonds can increase or decrease based on current interest rates. At maturity, you are paid the bond’s full face amount.
Investors purchase bonds for income, safety, and diversification. Typically, bonds pay interest semiannually; which means they can provide a predictable income stream. If bonds are held to maturity, bondholders get back the entire principal; so bonds are a way to preserve capital while investing. While bonds aren’t risk-free, they tend to be less volatile than stocks and can stabilize the portfolio values when the stock market struggles.