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BANKERS TUTORIAL · CAIIB · EXAM-PLANNING GUIDE

Study plan: Separating bond coupon, current yield and market price

A bond's coupon, market price and yield describe different aspects of its cash flows and valuation. Learn why an unchanged coupon does not imply an unchanged return for someone buying at a different price.

01 / 03Learn with a clear direction

2 min read Original learning material · Prepared 14 Oct 2026

This is an original preparation plan, not a new examination announcement. Check dates, stages, eligibility and application instructions in the issuing authority’s current notice.

01 / UNDERSTANDING

Plan your preparation

Begin with the same coupon at two purchase prices and calculate current yield. Next add principal repayment and explain what the first calculation omitted. Finish by changing the sale date. Readiness means choosing the right return concept for the question rather than using a familiar coupon percentage as the answer to every bond problem.

02 / UNDERSTANDING

The concept in context

A conventional fixed-rate bond specifies coupon payments and a principal repayment. The coupon rate relates the coupon to face value, while current yield relates the annual coupon to the purchase price. Neither concept should be confused with a price quotation or the more comprehensive yield-to-maturity calculation.

03 / UNDERSTANDING

A worked learning case

A fictional bond pays an annual coupon of 6 units on a face value of 100. One learner buys it for 100 and another for 90. Both receive the same promised coupon, but their current yields differ. The class then includes the eventual principal repayment to explain why current yield alone does not measure yield to maturity.

ORIGINAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

Try it before you check.

Does buying a fixed-coupon bond at a lower price change its promised coupon amount?

Show the answer and reasoning

No; it changes the relationship between the purchase price and the cash flows.

The contractual coupon follows the bond's terms, not the price paid by a new holder in the market. A lower purchase price raises the coupon relative to that price, all else equal. A complete holding-period return still needs the remaining payments, any sale or redemption value and relevant reinvestment assumptions.

Two traps to watch for.

  • Calling the coupon rate the investor's guaranteed realised return.
  • Using current yield as if it included every remaining cash flow.

YOUR TOPIC-SPECIFIC LEARNING MAP

Build your next study session

  1. Calculate coupon income from face value and stated terms.

  2. Compare current yields at two fictional purchase prices.

  3. List the assumptions needed for a holding-period return.

Explain the idea, apply it to a new situation, then check what changed in your reasoning.

BANKERS TUTORIAL · SOURCE NOTES

Keep the source alongside your notes.

Official links provide subject context and authoritative reference material. This guide’s explanation, scenario and question are original Bankers Tutorial learning content.

  1. iibf.org.in https://iibf.org.in/caiib-certified-associate-IIBF
  2. iibf.org.in https://iibf.org.in/documents/RulesSyllabus/2026/FlagshipCourses/60%20-%20CAIIB_24.07.25_Change_Final%20Website_23.02.2026.PDF
  3. m.rbi.org.in https://m.rbi.org.in/commonman/english/scripts/FAQs.aspx?Id=711

For CAIIB preparation, check the current official notice before relying on changing dates, rules or examination requirements.

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