Short-Term Bonds: A Safe Haven in Hard Times

Key vocabulary

• incertidumbref.

  uncertainty

  “Hay mucha incertidumbre en el mercado.”— There is a lot of uncertainty in the market.

  Pattern incertidumbre económica economic uncertainty; incertidumbre política political uncertainty

  Compare duda (doubt), inseguridad (insecurity)

  plural incertidumbres

  💡 Formed from in- (negative) + certidumbre (certainty); the root cert- is related to 'certain'.

• inversorm.

  investor

  “Los inversores buscan seguridad.”— Investors look for safety.

  Pattern inversor extranjero foreign investor

  Compare inversionista (investor)

  plural inversores

  💡 From the verb invertir (to invest); -or indicates the doer, similar to trabajador.

• bonosm.

  bonds

  “Los bonos a corto plazo son populares.”— Short-term bonds are popular.

  Pattern bonos a corto plazo short-term bonds

  Compare obligaciones (bonds)

  plural bonoss, singular bono

  💡 From Latin bonus, meaning 'good', extended to mean a creditworthy investment instrument.

• riesgom.

  risk

  “Invertir siempre tiene riesgo.”— Investing always has risk.

  Pattern correr riesgo to take a risk; riesgo de... risk of...

  Compare peligro (danger)

  plural: riesgos

  💡 From Latin resecare (to cut off), extended to mean a possible danger or loss.

• rentabilidadf.

  return, profitability

  “La rentabilidad de este bono es baja.”— The return on this bond is low.

  Pattern rentabilidad moderada moderate return

  Compare beneficio (profit), rendimiento (return)

  plural rentabilidades

  💡 Root renta (income) + -bilidad (ability), meaning the ability to generate income.

• estabilidadf.

  stability

  “La estabilidad es importante para mí.”— Stability is important to me.

  Pattern estabilidad económica economic stability

  Compare solidez (solidity)

  plural estabilidades

  💡 From Latin stabilis; the root sta- means to stand, and -bil- means ability.

• diversificarv.

  to diversify

  “Es bueno diversificar tus inversiones.”— It's good to diversify your investments.

  Pattern diversificar la inversión diversify the investment

  Compare variar (to diversify)

  Present: diversifico, diversificas, diversifica, diversificamos, diversificáis, diversifican

  💡 The root divers- comes from Latin diversus (different); -ficar means 'to make', so 'to make diverse'.

• estrategiaf.

  strategy

  “Necesitamos una estrategia clara.”— We need a clear strategy.

  Pattern estrategia de inversión investment strategy

  Compare táctica (tactic), plan (plan)

  plural: estrategias

  💡 From Greek strategia, meaning 'the art of a general', related to military strategy.

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Cuando hay incertidumbre en el mercado, los inversores buscan opciones seguras.

  When there is uncertainty in the market, investors look for safe options.

  Cuando + indicative clause, + main clauseReplace 'incertidumbre' with other nouns, such as 'crisis' or 'problema'.

• Los bonos a corto plazo son una buena opción.

  Short-term bonds are a good option.

  ser + una buena opciónReplace the subject with other things, such as 'Este curso' or 'Viajar'.

• Si quieres invertir, es importante entender el riesgo.

  If you want to invest, it is important to understand risk.

  Si + present tense, es importante + infinitiveReplace 'invertir' with other verbs, such as 'aprender' or 'trabajar'.