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consol

consol

1 9.9
A loan to the British government that pays regular interest and has no set end date
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒn.səl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : consola
  • Many retirees invest in consols to ensure regular interest payments for their financial stability.
  • Consol prices
  • supply of Consols

Examples

  • Selling fixed-rate Consols now makes good sense; buying them is nuts.

    Blog text (32)
  • The rise in the prices of British Consols from 1813 onward appears to have been due, in part, to a reduction in their perceived risk as the Allies approached France and peace returned, and, in part, to a drastic reduction in the annual supply of new Consols through budget deficit financing.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Consol prices did not return to par quickly, however.

    Academic text (2018)
  • In their model, the mortgage is treated as a consol with a perpetual put option representing the opportunity to default.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Consols issued at 60 percent of par; 167 was typically added to the debt.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Investors have different goals and preferences; you're right that Consols would be gobbled up by investors as well.

    Blog text (32)
  • Reduced supply of Consols, itself associated with a move toward fiscal surplus, combined with increased demand for them and the anticipated, then actual, resumption of specie payments at the old parity, created a secular decline in interest rates.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Over the course of the 18th century, government securities ("the funds") and Consols in particular had become the principal nonlanded form of wealth holding for merchants and the middle class, who tended to be more liquid than all but the richest aristocracy.

    Academic text (2018)
  • In a world in which equity markets were almost nonexistent and in which there was a gigantic government bond market swollen by war financing, fluctuations in the prices of Consols caused swings in investor wealth that had major economic effects, which have been much underappreciated.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Investors often prefer British consols because they provide a steady stream of income without a maturity date.

Synonyms

bond
vsconsol
  • Specialized
564 4.4

A certificate promising to repay borrowed money with interest

is a perpetual state loan without a specified repayment time and pays interest regularly
government bond
vsconsol
  • Specialized
14 2.7

A loan to a government that pays interest over time and is usually safe

is an indefinite loan from the state paying regular interest without fixed repayment date
government security
vsconsol
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A bond or note that a government sells to borrow money

is a perpetual state loan paying regular interest rather than fixed-term instruments

Surface Forms

consol singular
consols plural

Etymology

The word consol comes from the phrase 'consolidated annuities', and the root consolidate (as in consolidated and solid) means 'joined together'. So, consols were government bonds made by joining many old debts into one long-term loan that pays regular interest and has no fixed end.