NEW YORK, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bond Market Association today
launched its completely updated and redesigned website,
http://www.investinginbonds.com, the award-winning investor education site,
which is the only non-commercial website to offer users real-time price data
for all municipal bond trades, and beginning next week, real-time U.S.
corporate bond trades will be available to investors as well. The re-launched
site features up-to-the minute news and commentary and a broad selection of
information and educational materials designed to help many different types of
investors, from beginners to experienced equity investors to the most
sophisticated bond investor.
"We urge investors to visit and use investinginbonds.com," said Bart
McDade, Chairman of the Bond Market Association and Global Head of Fixed
Income at Lehman Brothers. "It's completely commercial free and is solely
intended to help investors make appropriate investment decisions. The
Association takes its educational mission seriously and this re-launching
investinginbonds.com with richer and deeper data, background, commentary and
news is a tangible part of that effort."
The Association is launching its redesigned website at the same time the
Municipal Securities Rule-Making Board has begun publicly disseminating real
time municipal bond prices and shortly before the National Association of
Securities Dealers implements 100 percent dissemination of corporate trades
through its TRACE system. The Association is firmly committed to providing
real-time prices for free to retail investors because it believes price
transparency gives them crucial information.
"Investinginbonds.com has been designed to make it as easy as possible for
retail investors to access and use the vast price data that are now available
in the bond markets," said Micah S. Green, president of the Bond Market Asso-
ciation. "To be able to offer this information on one site, free of charge and
commercial free, while also adding significant educational and market informa-
tion is really something unique."
The revamped site was specifically designed to address the needs of lots
of different kinds of investors, with the architecture, color palette and
other features purposefully chosen to create a welcoming, yet relevant
environment. A "Learn More" section offers novice investors, as well as
others, information and articles such as the effect of rising interest rates
on an individual's investments. Information is presented in context as well,
with easy-to-read descriptions, so charts, graphs and other data can be easily
understood.
A "Markets-at-a-Glance" section offers even the most sophisticated
investor an array of information, including economic indicators and bond
indices, ranging from general market barometers to very specific ones narrowly
focused on markets such as corporate or sovereign debt. Additionally, the site
features a "News & Commentary" section which features daily news updates and
regularly updated commentary on specific markets, such as mortgage-backed
securities. Importantly, the site is also designed to allow users to easily
navigate between sections so they can quickly reach connected and relevant
information.
"Investinginbonds.com is deliberately designed to provide information to
investors of all levels," noted Mr. Green. "The site has won national
recognition in the past and has attracted up to one and a half million
visitors a year but we wanted to extend its usefulness so even the most basic
or the most sophisticated investor could find information which will help them
in their decision-making process."
The site was redesigned by a dynamic partnership involving Association
members, staff, the Bond Market Foundation and award-winning outside design
consultants Bixler Incorporated and Erickson-Barnett. The partnership focused
on meeting the challenge of providing relevant information to a wide range of
investors. Association members provided almost two dozen data and information
feeds. The site is exceptionally easy to navigate and allows users to
concentrate on its content and not get distracted by technical difficulties.
The Bond Market Association, with offices in New York, Washington, D.C.,
and London, represents securities firms and banks that underwrite, trade and
sell debt securities and other financial products globally.
SOURCE The Bond Market Association
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Related links:
http://www.bondmarkets.com
http://www.investinginbonds.com
CONTACT:
Emily Brunner, +1-646-637-9268, or Jon Teall,
+1-646-637-9279, both for The Bond Market Association
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