In recogntition that retail investors are now responsible for nearly two of every three corporate bond transactions, the U.S. National Association of Securities Dealers has launched an online learning centre for bonds.

The NASD notes that despite retail investors heavy participation in corporate bond trading, surveys show that they are not very knowledgeable about how bonds, and bond markets, work. An NASD survey revealed that almost 40% of investors own bonds or bond funds. But the same survey showed that individual investors know little about how the bond markets work. For example, the survey indicated that only 40% of investors understand that bond prices fall as interest rates rise. Another 34% either thought there is no fee for buying or selling a bond, or they did not know whether they were paying a fee for bond transactions.

To help close that knowledge gap, NASD has launched Smart Bond Investing, an online learning center that provides a wealth of information about bonds and bond investing, along with easy access to real-time corporate and municipal bond prices and the day’s most active corporate bonds.

In addition to covering the basics of bond maturity, yield and pricing, Smart Bond Investing offers sections on dealing with risk; how bonds are bought and sold; an overview of the corporate, municipal and government bond markets, and a look at the various types of individual bonds and bond mutual funds.

“Bond markets, especially the corporate bond market, have been mostly a mystery to individual retail investors, who are increasingly important to those markets, and who find those markets increasingly important to them,” says John Gannon, NASD’s vice president for Investor Education. “Individual investors who suffered major losses when the stock market fell have moved more of their money into the bond markets. And baby boomers are moving more and more of their assets from equities to bonds as they get closer to retirement. There’s no doubt that retail investors need to be armed with more information and better education about bonds and bond investing.”

“Bond investing is an important diversification strategy and can be used to accomplish a variety of investment objectives,” Gannon said. “But investors should recognize that like all investments, bonds and bond mutual funds carry risk. Smart Bond Investing untangles the complexities by offering concise information about bonds and bond funds as well as tips and strategies for investing.”