Counterparty

One of two entities in a traditional interest rate swap. In the municipal market a counterparty and a party can be a state or local government, a broker-dealer or a corporation.

Remarks: Bond funds including mutual funds (open-end and closed-end, actively managed and indexed), exchange-traded funds and unit investment trusts offer a convenient and affordable way to invest in a diversified portfolio of bonds, but a bond fund investment can differ from a bond investment in ways that are important to understand.