In fixed income terms, bond meaning in finance extends to safety amid market uncertainty. Q2 volatility in commodity-linked stocks has prompted pension funds to favor long-term bonds, moderating equity market swings. “It’s not as predictable as it was seven days ago,” Smith said of his own schedule, moving from associate superintendent to the district's top leader. “And so in spite of all the things that are happening around us, this is still the most important issue.” Finally, investor concerns about bonds’ loss of diversification potential may be overblown. While equity-return correlations are strongly positive – and rising – with 30-year bonds, our analysis shows that two-year bonds remain strongly negatively correlated to equities – meaning they typically rise when stocks fall, and vice versa, potentially offsetting losses in a portfolio. Bond meaning in finance centers on debt instruments paying periodic interest. Current corporate bond spreads have tightened to 130 basis points over Treasuries, signaling investor confidence in the S&P 500’s steady earnings projections for