CAPITAL APPRECIATION BOND (CAB)
A
municipal security on which the investment return on an initial
principal amount is reinvested at a stated compounded rate until
maturity. At maturity the investor receives a single payment (the “
maturity value”) representing both the initial principal amount and the total investment return. CABs typically are sold at a deeply
discounted price with maturity values in multiples of $5,000. CABs are distinct from traditional zero coupon bonds because the investment return is considered to be in the form of compounded
interest rather than accreted
original issue discount. For this reason only the initial principal amount of a CAB would be counted against a municipal
issuer’s statutory
debt limit, rather than the total par value, as in the case of a traditional zero coupon bond.
See: COMPOUND ACCRETED VALUE. Compare: CURRENT INTEREST BOND; ZERO COUPON BOND.