government bond

U.S. government bond: 1976 8% Treasury Note A government bond or sovereign bond is a form of bond issued by a government to support public spending. It generally includes a commitment to pay periodic interest, called coupon payments, and to repay the face value on the maturity date. The ratio of the annual interest payment to the current market price of the bond is called the current yield. The yield tends to decrease when the government budget balance improves.

For example, a bondholder invests $20,000, called face value or principal, into a ten-year government bond with a 10% annual coupon; the government would pay the bondholder 10% interest ($2000 in this case) each year and repay the $20,000 original face value at the date of maturity (i.e. after ten years).