par value

Par value

Also called the maturity value or face value; the amount that an issuer agrees to pay at the maturity date.

Copyright © 2012, Campbell R. Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

Face Value

The amount of money stated on a bond or (rarely) a stock certificate. For example, if a bond certificate says $1,000, the face value is $1000. Bonds pay the face value at maturity, and calculate coupons as a percentage of the face value. Many bonds are issued at their face value, though discount bonds are not. The face value is also called the par value or simply par.

Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved

par value

1. The stated value of a security as it appears on its certificate. A bond's par value is the dollar amount on which interest is calculated and the amount paid to holders at maturity. Par value of preferred stock is used in a similar way in calculating the annual dividend. Also called face value, par.

2. The minimum contribution made by investors to purchase a share of common stock at the time of issue. Par value is of no real consequence to investors; in fact, many new common stock issues have no stated par value. Also called par. See also no par.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.

Par value.

Par value is the face value, or named value, of a stock or bond.

With stocks, the par value, which is frequently set at $1, is used as an accounting device but has no relationship to the actual market value of the stock.

But with bonds, par value, usually $1,000, is the amount you pay to purchase at issue and the amount you receive when the bond is redeemed at maturity.

Par is also the basis on which the interest you earn on a bond is figured. For example, if you are earning 6% annual interest on a bond with a par value of $1,000, that means you receive 6% of $1,000, or $60.

While the par value of a bond typically remains constant for its term, its market value does not. That is, a bond may trade at a premium, or more than par, or at a discount, which is less than par, in the secondary market.

The market price is based on changes in the interest rate, the bond's rating, or other factors.

Dictionary of Financial Terms. Copyright © 2008 Lightbulb Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

par value

1. the face or nominal value of a SHARE in the UK. Par values may be of any amount, though 25p or £1 are the most common par values. The par value of a share bears little relationship to its market value, which is determined by demand and supply for the shares. A company can change the par value of its shares by a reorganization or SHARE SPLIT, for example issuing four 25p par value shares for every £1 share held.
2. the fixed price of a FOREIGN CURRENCY under a FIXED RATE EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

Collins Dictionary of Business, 3rd ed. © 2002, 2005 C Pass, B Lowes, A Pendleton, L Chadwick, D O’Reilly and M Afferson

par value

1. the coupon price of a FINANCIAL SECURITY; for example, the initial face value or nominal price of an ORDINARY SHARE (as opposed to its market price). For example, a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY may issue ordinary shares with a par value of, say, 25p although its market price on the STOCK EXCHANGE may be higher or lower than this par value, depending upon current demand and supply for it.
2. The fixed price of a CURRENCY in terms of other currencies under a FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM.

Collins Dictionary of Economics, 4th ed. © C. Pass, B. Lowes, L. Davies 2005