Too Long; Didn't Read
Bonds have existed since 2400 BC, with deep roots in our financial system. At a variable or fixed interest rate, bonds are fixed-income investments used by entities (corporations or governments) to raise money and finance a variety of projects for a defined period of time. In 2016, the Bank for International Settlements estimated that the outstanding global bond debt amounted to $127 trillion and <a href="https://medium.com/@SIFMA" data-anchor-type="2" data-user-id="f35ac9465efb" data-action-value="f35ac9465efb" data-action="show-user-card" data-action-type="hover" target="_blank">SIFMA</a> <a href="https://www.sifma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SIFMA-Insights-FIMS-Primer_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">estimated</a> the U.S. bond market to be around $39 trillion (according to a study conducted by <a href="http://www.federatedinvestors.com/FII/daf/pdf/G45692-06_2017.pdf" target="_blank">Federated Investors</a>).