| How
do I invest in bonds? The
best way for you to invest in bonds is through bond funds
or fixed income funds. Like other unit trust funds, bond funds
approved by the Securities Commission are collective investment
schemes that pool money from many investors for the purpose
of investing in bonds. The funds are managed by professional
managers and the income earned from the investments is then
distributed to unit holders in proportion to their ownership.
The
general bond funds usually invest in the medium- to long-term
bonds while the money market funds and short-term bond funds
invest in short-term bonds. A short-term bond has a maturity
period of less than a year and is technically referred to
as a money market instrument. Islamic bond funds would deal
only with bonds issued by companies under the Syariah principles.
It
is expected that more bond products and bond funds will be
introduced in the near future as the Malaysian bond market
continues to grow. There is the Bon Simpanan Malaysia Siri
03 (BSM03) that was released for purchase by Malaysian senior
citizens in January 2002. Read more about this in question
9 on the different types of bonds.
Other
than bond funds, you could invest directly in the PDS listed
on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange such as the CULS or ICULs.
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