Instrument |
Fixed deposits (FDs) |
Bonds |
Public Provident Fund (PPF) |
Postal savings |
Return |
4-7% per annum (p.a.) |
6-14% p.a. (based on the issuer) |
7.1% p.a. |
4-7% p.a. |
Risk |
Low (bank risk + deposit insurance) |
Medium to high (issuer credit risk + market risk) |
Very low |
Very low |
Liquidity |
Low to medium (premature withdrawal allowed with penalty) |
Medium (secondary market liquidity varies) |
Low (partial withdrawal from the seventh year only) |
Medium (depending on the scheme) |
Lock-in period |
No lock-in |
No lock-in |
15 years |
Five years (varies by scheme) |
Tax benefits |
Interest taxable |
Interest taxable |
Tax-free under 80 C deduction |
Depending on the scheme, some are tax-free |
Investment limit |
No upper limit |
No upper limit |
Rs 1.5 lakh p.a. maximum |
Varies by scheme (max Rs 9 lakh single, Rs 15 lakh joint) |
Interest compounding |
Quarterly/ annually |
Monthly/ quarterly/ semi-annually/ annually |
Annually |
Monthly/ quarterly/ annually |
Credit rating |
Rated by banks/credit rating agencies |
Rated by credit rating agencies (AAA- D) |
Sovereign |
Sovereign |
Minimum investment |
Usually Rs 1,000/ bank specific |
Usually Rs 1,000 - Rs 10,000 |
Rs 500 |
Varies (Rs 100, Rs 1,000) |
Investors are increasingly embracing corporate bonds as an alternative to traditional fixed-income instruments such as FDs, PPF and postal saving schemes. The preference can be attributed to higher yield, liquidity benefits and risk-adjusted returns offered by corporate bonds.
Yield advantage
Corporate bonds offer significantly higher yields compared with traditional instruments. The yield differential can substantially impact long-term wealth creation, particularly for retirement planning.
Liquidity benefits
Corporate bonds traded on exchanges offer higher liquidity compared with PPF and postal saving schemes, which have lock-in periods ranging from five to 15 years. Thus, investors in corporate bonds can exit positions if their financial needs change or they wish to rebalance portfolios in response to interest rate movements.
Risk-adjusted returns
While corporate bonds carry an element of credit risk
compared with government-backed PPF and postal saving schemes, it is
compensated by higher yields. Investors can mitigate the risk by selecting
bonds from established companies with strong credit ratings.
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