Returns

Yield: Definition

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Simple Definition

The income return on an investment, usually shown as a percentage.

Why It Matters

Yield tells you what income you're getting relative to what you paid. A $100 stock paying $3/year has a 3% yield. Yield lets you compare different investments - a bond yielding 5% vs a stock yielding 2%. Higher yield usually means higher risk. The 10-year Treasury yield is the baseline that all other yields are compared against.

Key Points

  • Dividend yield, bond yield, savings account yield - same concept, different investments
  • Yield and price move inversely: when bond prices fall, yields rise
  • Yield chasing (buying only for high yield) is risky - sometimes high yield signals trouble

Related Terms

Common Questions

The income return on an investment, usually shown as a percentage. Yield tells you what income you're getting relative to what you paid. A $100 stock paying $3/year has a 3% yield.

Yield tells you what income you're getting relative to what you paid. A $100 stock paying $3/year has a 3% yield. Yield lets you compare different investments - a bond yielding 5% vs a stock yielding 2%. Higher yield usually means higher risk. The 10-year Treasury yield is the baseline that all other yields are compared against.

Dividend yield, bond yield, savings account yield - same concept, different investments

Yield and price move inversely: when bond prices fall, yields rise

Yield chasing (buying only for high yield) is risky - sometimes high yield signals trouble