3. You can find the most recent bond rating for many companies by logging on to finance.yahoo.com and going to the Bond Center. Find the bond rating for some major companies. Were they investment-grade or below?

4. In Figure 6.9 we showed how bonds with greater credit risk have promised higher yields

to maturity. This yield spread goes up when the economic outlook is particularly uncertain.

You can check how much extra yield lower-grade bonds offer today by logging on to

www.federalreserve.gov and comparing the yields on Aaa and Baa bonds. How does the spread

in yields compare with the spread in November 2008 at the height of the financial crisis?