The term of a bond ends on the bond’s maturity date, when the issuer repays to the investor the face amount listed on the bond. When a bond is held to maturity, its face amount is repaid in full. Before maturity, however, the value of a bond often fluctuates. These continual changes in bond prices are influenced by many factors, including interest rate movements, supply of and demand for bonds, changes in the financial health of bond issuers, returns offered by other investments, and the maturity date of a bond. Price fluctuations will be addressed more fully on pages 12 and 13
