What type of securities represent loans from investors to corporations?

Bonds are indeed the correct choice as they represent loans from investors to corporations or governments. When an investor purchases a bond, they are effectively lending money to the issuer—whether that be a corporation or a government entity—in exchange for periodic interest payments and the return of the principal amount at maturity. This transaction establishes a creditor-debtor relationship, meaning the issuer is obliged to repay the borrowed amount along with interest.

In contrast, stocks represent ownership in a corporation, giving shareholders a claim on assets and earnings rather than a loan. Options are financial derivatives that provide the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security at a predetermined price, thus they do not represent loans. Mutual funds pool money from many investors to purchase a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities, but again, they do not embody a direct loan structure like bonds do. Thus, bonds are uniquely positioned as securities that signify a lender-borrower dynamic.