'Silver bond subscription value could hit new record'

Bank of China (Hong Kong) expects the subscription value for its newly released silver bonds to hit a record high. The government's eleventh batch of silver bonds for senior citizens went on sale on Friday morning with a total value of up to HK$55 billion. These three-year bonds offer a guaranteed annual coupon of 4.25 percent, slightly below the record 5 percent in 2023 but higher than the 3.85 percent from the previous year.

Arnold Chow, a Bank of China general manager, believes the bonds will attract investors due to their stability and relatively attractive interest rate. He also noted that the 4.25 percent rate is significantly higher than the 2 to 3 percent offered by local lenders' fixed-deposit products. With global economic instability weighing on various factors like company profits and unemployment rates, Chow believes there is customer demand for these stable products.

Bank of China is one of the participating banks, allowing eligible investors born in 1967 or earlier to subscribe for up to 100 board lots, each costing HK$10,000. The bonds are scheduled to be issued on September 15, just before the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Chow assured customers that the current yield curve has already factored in potential policy rate changes, and interest will be paid every six months.

The previous batch of bonds in 2023 saw over 370,000 applications and a total value of HK$98.2 billion, both record figures.