Definition of Effective Annual Return

The effective annual yield is the annual rate of return on an investment or security, taking into account all sources of income and expenses, including taxes and fees. It is a more accurate measure of the true performance of securities than the simple annual rate of return provided by most financial institutions. The effective annual yield may also be called yield to maturity or effective annual interest. When analyzing investments, looking at the nominal and effective annual yield is important to get a complete picture of the investment’s performance.

What is Effective Yield?

The effective yield is the return on a bond with its interest payments (or coupons) reinvested at the same rate by the bondholder. The effective yield is the total return that the investor receives, as opposed to the nominal yield – the stated interest rate on the bond’s coupon. The effective yield takes into account the compounding power of an investment’s returns, while the nominal yield does not.

For example, if a bond is issued with a 4% coupon rate and held to maturity, the effective yield will be slightly higher than the nominal yield. This is because as each coupon payment is reinvested at the same rate of return, the investor earns more than the original return on his investment. In this case, compound interest will give the investor a higher return than the stated coupon rate of 4%.

Effective yield is also used to compare investments with different conditions. For example, an investor may want to compare two bonds with different maturities but similar nominal yields.

Understanding Effective Profitability

Effective yield measures the coupon rate, the interest rate quoted on a bond, and is expressed as a percentage of par value. The issuer typically pays coupon payments on a bond every six months to the bond investor. This means that the investor will receive two coupon payments per year. The effective yield is calculated by dividing the coupon payments by the current market value of the bond. Effective yield is one way bondholders can measure their bond yield.

There is also the current yield, which is the return on an annual bond based on annual coupon payments and the current price, as opposed to the face value.

The disadvantage of using the effective yield is that it assumes that the coupon payments can be reinvested in another vehicle paying the same interest rate. It also means that the bonds are sold at par. This is only sometimes possible as interest rates change periodically, falling and rising depending on certain economic factors.

Effective Yield to Maturity (YTM)

Yield to Maturity (YTM) is the rate of return earned on a bond until maturity. To compare effective yield to yield to maturity (YTM), convert YTM to effective annual work. If the YTM is greater than the bond’s effective yield, then the bond is trading at a discount to par. On the other hand, if the YTM is less than the effective yield, the bond is sold at a premium.

The YTM is the so-called bond equivalent yield (BEY). Investors can find a more accurate annual yield once they know the BEY for a bond if they factor the time value of money into the calculation. This is known as the effective annual yield (EIR).

Example of Effective Profitability

If an investor owns a bond with a face value of $1000 and a 5% coupon paid semi-annually in March and September, he will receive (5%/2) x $1000 = $25 twice a year for a total of $50 in coupon payments. However, the effective yield is a measure of the return on a bond, assuming the coupon payments are reinvested. If the payments are reinvested, then its effective performance will be greater than the current yield or nominal yield due to compounding effects. Reinvesting the coupon will result in a greater effect as interest is earned on the interest payments.