Singapore Management University (SMU) Singapore Management University (SMU) Singapore Management University (SMU) Celebrating Meaning Impact: 25 Years and Beyond
SMU Academy

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
    Overview Why Choose Us
  • Courses & Programmes
    Course Finder Short Courses Full Certificates Industry Practice Master of Digital Economy Industry Graduate Diplomas (IGD)s Internationalisation Series SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme
  • Learning & Development for Companies
  • Resources
    Events Insights News Videos & Webinars
  • FAQs
    FAQs Course Information SkillsFuture Credit
  • Contact Us
    Enquire Now Getting to SMU
  • OpenCerts Verifier

Private Investors' Guide to Bond Investing

  • Finance & Investment
  • Basic
  • SkillsFuture
  • Short Courses
Next course starts on
To be advised
Fee
SGD2,180* (as low as SGD254 after maximum funding) Learn More
Duration

2 days
Weekdays (9am - 5pm) 

Level
Basic
Venue

Singapore Management University 

Who Should Attend

  • Individuals aspiring to embark on a professional career in investment management relating to bonds
  • Professionals and financial market investors looking to enhance their understanding of the workings of bond markets in practice

Overview

Bonds form an integral part of investors' portfolios but are often not well-understood, given their complexity in terms of structures and valuation. This course focuses on providing private bond investors with a holistic real-world understanding of bonds, how they can be used to strengthen your portfolio’s risk return profile.

Dates: [To be determined]

Learning Objectives

  • Understanding what moves bond prices i.e. the COLT Framework of Credit Ratings, Optionality, Liquidity and Tenor
  • Know the key risks and measurement of these risks associated with bond investments
  • Learn about the finer details of perpetual bonds with a focus on CoCos
  • Build a well diversified bond portfolio with (or without) leverage
  • Analyse new bond issues and make informed investment decisions

Topic/Structure

A Practical Introduction to Bonds

  • Basic Bond Structure and Payoffs
  • Macroeconomic Factors That Impact Bond Markets
  • Lifecycle of a Bond
     

Bond Valuation & Risk

  • Z-Spread and Duration
  • COLT Framework: Credit, Optionality, Liquidity & Tenor
  • Credit Ratings - Importance and Issues
  • High Yield Bond Covenants
  • Key Risks - Interest Rate Risk, Credit Risk, Reinvestment Risk and Liquidity Risk
  • Practical Tips on Getting Return for Risk
     

Perpetual Bonds

  • Corporate Perpetuals
  • Contingent Convertibles (CoCos)
  • Common Structures/ Features
  • Valuation
  • Covenants
  • Key Risks
     

Bond Portfolio Optimisation

  • Diversification and Home Bias
  • Buy and Hold vs. Active Management
  • Use of Leverage & Its Impact on Return (and Risk)
     

New Bond Issues

  • Understanding the New Bond Issue Process & Timelines
  • How to Analyse New Issues
  • Things to Ask Your Banker Before Buying New Issues
     

Using Excel to Understand Bond Calculations

  • Calculations of Accrued Interest, Clean & Dirty Price
  • Yield to Maturity, Price from Yield & Vice Versa
  • Portfolio Volatility & DV01 Risk Ladder

Assessment

As part of the requirement for SkillsFuture Singapore, there will be an assessment conducted at the end of the course. The mode of assessment, which is up to the trainer’s discretion, may be an online quiz, a presentation or based on classroom exercises.

Participants are required to attain a minimum of 75% attendance and pass the associated assessment in order to receive a digital Certificate of Completion issued by Singapore Management University.

Calculate Programme Fee

Click here for more infomation about SkillsFuture Credits (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)
For PSEA - Available only for Singapore Citizen below 31 (Not applicable for Company-sponsored participants)

Total Program Fee: SGD0.00

Fee Table

COMPANY-SPONSORED

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

SELF-SPONSORED

SME

NON-SME

Singapore Citizen < 40 years old

Permanent Resident

LTVP+

$654

(After SSG Funding 70%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$654

(After SSG Funding 70%)

Singapore Citizen ≥ 40 years old

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ ETSS Funding 20%)

$254

(After SSG Funding 70%
+ MCES Funding 20%)

International Participant

$2,180

(No Funding)

$2,180

(No Funding)

$2,180

(No Funding)

All prices include 9% GST

Please note that the programme fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA)
PSEA can be utilised for subsidised programmes eligible for SkillsFuture Credit support. Click here to find out more.

Self Sponsored

SkillsFuture Credit

Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use their SkillsFuture Credits to pay for the course fees. The credits may be used on top of existing course fee funding.

This is only applicable to self-sponsored participants. Application to utilise SkillsFuture Credits can be submitted when making payment for the course via the SMU Academy TMS Portal, and can only be made within 60 days of course start date.

Please click here for more information on the SkillsFuture Credit. For help in submitting an SFC claim, you may wish to refer to our step-by-step guide on claiming SkillsFuture Credits (Individual).

Workfare Skills Support Scheme

From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme has been enhanced. Please click here for more details.

Company Sponsored

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

  • Organisation must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
  • Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million
  • Trainees must be hired in accordance with the Employment Act and fully sponsored by their employers for the course
  • Trainees must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Trainees must not be a full-time national serviceman
  • Trainees are eligible for ETSS funding only if their company's SME status is approved prior to the course commencement date. To verify your SME's status, please click here. 

Please click here for more information on ETSS.

Absentee Payroll

Companies who sponsor their employees for the course may apply for Absentee Payroll here. For more information, please refer to:

AP Guide (Non-SME Companies)
Declaration Guide (SME Companies)

Loading...

Loading schedule information...

Trainers

George Thomas
Macro Trader
THE TUDOR GROUP
George Thomas
Macro Trader
THE TUDOR GROUP
George has over a decade's experience in Fixed Income markets with Credit Suisse where he worked on Asian Local Currency Fixed Income Trading with a primary focus on India Offshore and South East Asian markets. His experience includes trading onshore and offshore FX, Swaps, Bonds and Futures. He has experience with the Fixed Income Front Office Technology Trading Books and Market Pricers which were built on Excel and C#. George has a Major degree in Computer Engineering and a Minor degree in Finance from the National University of Singapore. He is passionate about the integration of technology and financial markets and explores this by writing python-based algorithms to trade in Fixed Income and Equity securities, Cloud Computing and Machine Learning.
Pramod Shenoi
President
CreditSights Singapore
Pramod Shenoi
President
CreditSights Singapore
Pramod has extensive experience in debt markets. He is the President of CreditSights Singapore and the Head of Research for Asia Pacific at CreditSights, an independent credit research firm that caters to institutional investors. Prior to this, he was the regional head of financial institutions for Mizuho Securities’ Debt Capital Markets team, covering most financial issuers across South East Asia, India and Hong Kong. Prior to that Pramod was the Head of Capital Solutions at Standard Chartered, advising financial institutions on capital structure and capital instruments, before which he was with Lehman Brothers and Nomura in London, covering UK and Irish financial institutions. He is an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Rahul Banerjee
President
CreditSights Singapore
Rahul Banerjee
President
CreditSights Singapore
Rahul is a Fixed Income banker with deep expertise in Asian Capital markets. Prior to starting BondEvalue, Rahul was the Global Head for International Corporates, Financial Market Sales at Standard Chartered Bank. His team was based across all the major SCB dealing rooms and covered the Fixed Income needs of large corporate clients. Prior to this, he was MD and Regional Head of Capital Markets for South Asia. He was also a member of the Bank’s Capital Markets Global Management team. Rahul has worked at Nomura Securities Singapore, Credit Suisse and Citibank. He graduated from Delhi College of Engineering and did his MBA from the Indian School of Business (Deans List), where he received the HSBC scholarship for leadership.

You might also be interested in

Foreign Exchange: Dealing, Trading and Risk Management
Foreign Exchange: Dealing, Trading and Risk Management
21 Jul 2025
Macro Market Fundamental Analysis
Macro Market Fundamental Analysis
16 Jun 2025
Uncovering The Bond Markets and Emerging Technologies from an Advisor's Perspective
Uncovering The Bond Markets and Emerging Technologies from an Advisor's Perspective
  • Overview
  • Topic/Structure
  • Assessment
  • Calculate Programme Fee
  • Fee Table
  • Intake Information
  • Trainers
Enquire
Hey, chat with me!

SMU Academy Chatbot

  Maximize
  Minimize

Directions & Carpark

  • Maps & Directions
  • Carpark Information

Courses

  • Course Finder
  • Short Courses
  • Full Certificates
  • Industry Practice Master of Digital Economy (IPMDE)
  • Industry Graduate Diplomas (IGD)s
  • Internationalisation Series
  • SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP)

Explore

  • Why Choose Us
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Course Calendar
  • Course Policies
  • Code of Conduct

Get in Touch

  • Contact Us

Follow Us On

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback
  • Report Whistleblowing
  • Personal Data Protection
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • SoundCloud
© 2025 Singapore Management University. All Rights Reserved.