Select your investor profile:
This content is only for the selected type of investor.
Institutional investors and consultants or Financial intermediaries?
What is a yield?
A yield is the income you get from an investment. It can come from either the interest received from a fixed income security such as a bond, or the dividends received from a share.
Yield is normally expressed as a percentage of the asset's price. And since it measures only the income an investment earns, and disregards the capital gains or losses, the yield figure is a convenient way of comparing the returns on financial investments when you are investing for income.
The yield from a bond takes into account the fixed rate of interest the bond pays (also known as the coupon value) and the price at which the bond was purchased. For example if a £1 bond cost you £1.10 to buy, and has a 5% coupon value, that would give you a yield of 4.5% at the maturity date of the bond (1 year in this example).
Things to discuss with your adviser
Yield only represents the percentage of income received from the value of your assets, and is not an indication of whether the price will rise or fall. Whilst bonds may be a source of fixed income, dividend income is hugely variable and not guaranteed in most cases. There are other ways of investing for income such as preferred shares and property. To understand more about these please click on the word to be directed to our glossary or ask your adviser for more details.
You should be aware though that any investment, even for income, comes with risk to your initial investment. Your adviser will be able to discuss your attitude to risk and help construct your portfolio of investments to suit your needs.
To understand more about some technical words mentioned in the article, please refer to our glossary.
Related articles
Fixed income investing jargon made easy
The following collection of short articles explain some of the most common terms used in fixed income investing.
What is a bond?
A bond is essentially a loan made by an investor to a company or government. In return that company or government pays interests normally at a fixed rate over a fixed term.
What is the link between inflation and interest rates?
Inflation is the rate at which prices for goods and services rise and is measured as an annual percentage increase.
Important legal information
This marketing material is issued by Pictet Asset Management (Europe) S.A.. It is neither directed to, nor intended for distribution or use by, any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of, or domiciled or located in, any locality, state, country or jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability or use would be contrary to law or regulation. The latest version of the fund‘s prospectus, Pre-Contractual Template (PCT) when applicable, Key Information Document (KID), annual and semi-annual reports must be read before investing. They are available free of charge in English on www.assetmanagement.pictet or in paper copy at Pictet Asset Management (Europe) S.A., 6B, rue du Fort Niedergruenewald, L-2226 Luxembourg, or at the office of the fund local agent, distributor or centralizing agent if any.
The KID is also available in the local language of each country where the compartment is registered. The prospectus, the PCT when applicable, and the annual and semi-annual reports may also be available in other languages, please refer to the website for other available languages. Only the latest version of these documents may be relied upon as the basis for investment decisions.
The summary of investor rights (in English and in the different languages of our website) is available here and at www.assetmanagement.pictet under the heading "Resources", at the bottom of the page.
The list of countries where the fund is registered can be obtained at all times from Pictet Asset Management (Europe) S.A., which may decide to terminate the arrangements made for the marketing of the fund or compartments of the fund in any given country.
The information and data presented in this document are not to be considered as an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or subscribe to any securities or financial instruments or services.
Information, opinions and estimates contained in this document reflect a judgment at the original date of publication and are subject to change without notice. The management company has not taken any steps to ensure that the securities referred to in this document are suitable for any particular investor and this document is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future. Before making any investment decision, investors are recommended to ascertain if this investment is suitable for them in light of their financial knowledge and experience, investment goals and financial situation, or to obtain specific advice from an industry professional.
The value and income of any of the securities or financial instruments mentioned in this document may fall as well as rise and, as a consequence, investors may receive back less than originally invested.
The investment guidelines are internal guidelines which are subject to change at any time and without any notice within the limits of the fund's prospectus. The mentioned financial instruments are provided for illustrative purposes only and shall not be considered as a direct offering, investment recommendation or investment advice. Reference to a specific security is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Effective allocations are subject to change and may have changed since the date of the marketing material.
Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future performance. Performance data does not include the commissions and fees charged at the time of subscribing for or redeeming shares.
Any index data referenced herein remains the property of the Data Vendor. Data Vendor Disclaimers are available on assetmanagement.pictet in the “Resources” section of the footer. This document is a marketing communication issued by Pictet Asset Management and is not in scope for any MiFID II/MiFIR requirements specifically related to investment research. This material does not contain sufficient information to support an investment decision and it should not be relied upon by you in evaluating the merits of investing in any products or services offered or distributed by Pictet Asset Management.
Pictet AM has not acquired any rights or license to reproduce the trademarks, logos or images set out in this document except that it holds the rights to use any entity of the Pictet group trademarks. For illustrative purposes only.