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Glossary Show All

Puttable Bond: Definition & Meaning | Bondfish

What it means

A puttable bond (also called a putable bond) behaves like an ordinary bond that comes bundled with an extra right for the investor. On one or more specified put dates, the holder can force the issuer to redeem the bond early at the agreed put price, most often 100% of face value. Exercising is entirely the investor's choice.

This is the mirror image of a callable bond, where the option belongs to the issuer instead. Because the put right has value to the investor, a puttable bond usually pays a lower coupon than an otherwise identical straight bond — the investor effectively pays for the protection through a slightly lower yield.

Why it matters for bond investors

The put option is protection against rising interest rates and deteriorating credit. If yields climb after you buy, your fixed-coupon bond loses market value — but you can hand it back to the issuer at par and reinvest the proceeds at the new, higher rates. That floor also shortens the bond's effective duration, so its price is less sensitive to rate moves than a comparable straight bond. The trade-off is a lower starting yield, and the protection is only as good as the issuer's ability to pay on the put date. You can filter for bonds with embedded options on the Bondfish bond screener.

Example

The value of a puttable bond can be thought of as a straight bond plus the value of the investor's put option:

Puttable bond price = Straight bond price + Value of put option

Suppose you hold a 10-year corporate bond with a €1,000 face value and a put option exercisable at par in year 5. Rates rise, and the bond trades down to €920 on the market. Rather than sell at a loss, you exercise the put: the issuer buys it back at €1,000, and you reinvest at today's higher yields. The right to do this is what makes a puttable bond worth more — and yield less — than an identical bond without it.

Related terms

This definition is for general information only and is not investment advice. Bond investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.