as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
is there any real purpose in purchasing bonds?
user
you ask a question, "is there any real purpose in purchasing bonds?" and then appear to go off on a rant. before the question is closed by members here, let me offer this:  this chart reflects the 10 year bond rate. from 1960-2004 (give or take) the coupon rate was over 4%. asset allocation suggests a mix of stocks and bonds seeking to avoid the risk of having "all of one's eggs in one basket." to that end, the simplest approach is a stock/bond mix. over time, a 70/30 mix provides nearly 95% of the long tern return, but with a much lower volatility.  i'm not going to suggest that a 2% 10 year bond is an exciting investment, but bonds may have a place in one's portfolio. i'm not going to debate each and every point you attempted, but #5 is especially questionable. if you feel this is true, you should short bonds. or you should at least 99% of the time. do you have data to back up this statement?
assistant