Fixed income
Bunds
A Bund is a fixed-interest, euro-denominated security issued by Germany’s federal government to fund its debt. in practice While the term ‘Bund’ refers specifically to bonds with maturities of 10 years and longer, it is used for a broader range of German government debt securities. Bunds are issued in the primary market, in maturities of 2 years (Schatz), 5 years (Obl), 10 years (Bund) and 30 years (Bunds, Buxl). The secondary and futures markets in these debt obligations are very active.
European benchmark
Longer-dated Bunds, those with a 10-year and 30-year maturity, are considered to be the German equivalent of US Treasury bonds. Bund yields are viewed as benchmark yield indicators for European government bonds, and long-term Bund yields are a proxy for euro area (credit) risk-free rates.