Answer:
interest must be paid on a periodic basis regardless of earnings.
Explanation:
A bond can be defined as a debt or fixed investment security, in which a bondholder (investor or creditor) loans an amount of money to the bond issuer (government or corporations) for a specific period of time. The bond issuer are expected to return the principal (face value) at maturity with an agreed upon interest (coupon), which are paid at fixed intervals.
The disadvantages of bonds are listed below as;
1. Bonds can decrease a person's return on equity.
2. Bonds require a payment of the principal amount.
3. Bonds typically require a payment of periodic interest.
Generally, most bonds with shorter maturity time respond less dramatically to changes in interest rates when compared to bonds having longer maturity. Thus, the risk associated with short bonds isn't really significant because their interest rates are less likely to change substantially within that short period of time unlike bonds with longer maturity.
Hence, regardless of the earnings by bondholders, interest must be paid on a periodic basis on a long-term bond.