A groundbreaking new financial website called InvestinginbondsEurope.org, which offers retail investors free access to comprehensive, non-commercial and unbiased education, was launched today. The site is the first of its kind providing fixed income market information in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish in a pan-European context.
“Bonds are a critical part of any investment and diversification strategy,” said Blythe Masters, Chair of SIFMA and Head of Global Commodities, JP Morgan Chase and Co. “Even people who do not buy bonds directly may hold them through pension schemes or other savings vehicles. Everyone who invests in the markets should have a basic understanding of how bonds work and InvestinginbondsEurope.org can help.”
The site covers a range of comprehensive, easy-to-use educational topics such as “Bond Basics,” “Types of Bonds,” and “Investor’s Checklist” to help visitors learn about bonds. It also provides market-at-a-glance data, end of day price information for selected bonds, indices, economic indicators, benchmark rates, news, in depth analysis, calculators, a glossary, commentaries and a resource centre.
"InvestinginbondsEurope.org is designed to explain pricing and other data in an educational context,” said Michele Faissola, Chair of SIFMA European Board and Managing Director, Global Head of Rates, Deutsche Bank AG. "For each of the graphs, charts, tables and indicators on InvestinginbondsEurope.org, we provide information behind the numbers and explanations of why this data matters to individual investors. This unique feature -- providing context for both the educational content and market data throughout the site -- helps individuals learn more about bonds whatever their level of knowledge and understanding."
InvestinginbondsEurope.org is designed to deliver non-commercial, unbiased educational basics about bonds and the transparency that comes with clear and relevant information. Data provided by the site focuses on the European government, sub-sovereign, corporate and collateralised bond markets.
“Individuals across Europe just learning about bonds, people familiar with shares but new to bonds and experienced bond investors can all benefit from using InvestinginbondsEurope.org,” said Karsten Moller, Senior Managing Director and head of London and Asia for SIFMA. “InvestinginbondsEurope.org serves European investors even more effectively by building upon investor education work pioneered on our multi award-winning US bond market site investinginbonds.com."
“Sound financial education provides a firm basis for consumer confidence… Consumers also require clear and relevant information to be able to make informed choices,” said Charlie McCreevy, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, at the European Consumers' Association Meeting of BEUC's General Assembly Brussels on 13 November 2008.
InvestinginbondsEurope.org is a unique partnership among SIFMA, the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, SIFMA European member firms and leading market data and content providers donors who have come together to create and fund this unique resource to educate investors. The Website is part of the mission of SIFMA Europe and the SIFMA Foundation to provide the tools necessary to help individuals increase their understanding of investments and personal finance.
