It appears that the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada is going to make public this Friday a set of proposed regulations that are designed to increase transparency for retail investors on the pricing and costs of purchasing individual corporate bonds in Canada.
Currently brokerages offer little insight into what premium, costs or commissions retail investors pay when they seek to purchase or sell an individual corporate bond leading to the question by many, “How do I know I’m getting a good deal?”
Readers of this blog will know that I recently published a lengthy article on corporate bonds, The Bond Guide – Investment Guide to Corporate Bonds, that focused on helping investors understand the risks, dynamics and features of owning individual corporate bonds in their portfolio.
The one topic I didn’t get to discuss was pricing because of the lack of information made available by brokerages that offer bond services. I’m currently in the process of interviewing 1 or 2 brokerages in order to provide this information in exchange for some free or exclusive publicity on their services.
An article published today by Boyd Erman of the Globe&Mail is an excellent starting point for investors interested in being more informed about information on corporate bond pricing and disclosure.