Required Yield

The return a bond must offer in order to be a worthwhile investment. Required yield is set by the market and sets the precedent for how current bond issues will be priced. 

|||For example, if the required yield increases to a rate that is greater than that of the bond's coupon, the bond will be priced at a discount. In this way, the investor acquiring the bond will be compensated for the lower coupon rate in the form of accrued interest. If the bond is not priced at a discount, investors will not purchase the issue because its yield will be lower than that of the market. The opposite occurs when the required yield decreases to a rate that is less than that of the bond's coupon. In this case, investor demand for the higher coupon will drive the bond's price up, making the bond's yield equivalent to market yield.