This week focused on bonds and their valuation. With the rise of low transaction cost brokers and applications such as Robinhood, many individuals have experience buying stocks, mutual funds, and even cryptocurrencies. Bonds, however, are quoted differently and not purchased as often by individual (retail) investors.

1. Read the provided article U.S. Government and Federal Agency Security.pdf U.S. Government and Federal Agency Security.pdf - Alternative Formats by RBC Wealth Management.
   1. The main agencies that issue debt are provided on the first page. Select one of these agencies you would like to research.
2. Go to FINRAs (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) Bond Center. Click on search, followed by government, to identify bonds issued by one of the agencies.
3. Select a government agency, and provide the following information in your post:
   1. Introduce the selected agency and what their mission or purpose is. You should identify how they were established and why they need to raise capital through financial markets.
   2. Using the Bond Center search, discuss the different bonds currently trading for that agency (maturities later than the current date). Tip: Sorting by maturity might help organize the list. Also, a blank search will provide all of the government issues. You do not need the exact number if multiple, but provide an estimate of how many different bonds are available.
   3. Select one of the bonds and describe the last price (100 is par), yield, coupon, calculate payment on $1,000 face value, and ratings (if available) from Moodys and S&P.
   4. Does this bond have a call option and what are the advantages of this investment?