Final Answer:
The issue price of the Mazeltov Corporation's
stated rate bonds, sold on January 1, 2004, with semi-annual interest payments and a market rate of
, is approximately

Step-by-step explanation:
Mazeltov Corporation's bond issuance involves calculating the present value of future cash flows, considering the stated rate of
and the market rate of
. The semi-annual interest payments result in a
interest rate per period
The formula for calculating the present value of a bond is:
![\[ P = (C * (1 - (1 + r)^(-nt)))/(r) + (F)/((1 + r)^(nt)) \]](https://img.qammunity.org/2024/formulas/business/high-school/348h2pkkerd22lti3e2m0o2p3mzpfiu19b.png)
Where:
is the issue price,
is the semi-annual interest payment

is the interest rate per period (\( 10\% / 2 \)),
is the total number of periods (6 semi-annual periods per year for 3 years,
, and
is the face value of the bond (\$100,000).
Substituting these values into the formula, we find that the issue price is approximately

In conclusion, the market rate being higher than the stated rate leads to a bond issued at a discount, resulting in an issue price lower than the face value. This discount compensates investors for the lower interest rate relative to the market rate over the bond's life.