(Johannesburg)
Emerging markets had a very poor first half to the year, with equities entering into a bear market and bonds suffering losses too. However, in recent weeks, bonds have started to rally, which has made some hopeful a big rebound is on the way. That said, American fund managers are not rushing back in, saying that the bonds are very risky. In fact, a survey by Citi found that even though prices are rising, top EM bond fund managers are getting bearish and are setting aside more cash in anticipation of losses.
FINSUM: Dollar-denominated bonds from the likes of Argentina, Egypt, and Brazil have their appeal—high yields, but they do hold a lot of risk, especially in a period of rising rates and a rising Dollar.