The correct answer is D, Reinvestment risk. Callable bonds give the issuer the right to redeem (call) the bond before maturity, typically when interest rates decline. This feature creates a specific risk for investors.
Step-by-step, when interest rates fall, issuers are more likely to call their bonds and refinance at lower rates. When this happens, investors receive their principal back earlier than expected. The problem is that they must then reinvest those funds at lower prevailing interest rates, which reduces their overall return. This is known as reinvestment risk.
Callable bonds are particularly exposed to this risk because they are often called precisely when it is least favorable for investors—when yields in the market are lower than the bond’s original coupon rate.
Choice A, market risk, affects all securities and is not unique to callable bonds. Choice B, political risk, applies mainly to foreign investments. Choice C, liquidity risk, relates to the ease of buying or selling a bond and is not the defining risk of callable bonds.
Thus, the most significant and characteristic risk associated with callable bonds is reinvestment risk, making Answer D correct.
