Displaying items by tag: fixed income

While many market strategists have noted the recent failures of the 60/40 model portfolio, one investment manager still sees value in the portfolio model. Quilter Cheviot's investment manager David Henry told the Financial Times that there was still value in 60/40 portfolios despite rising inflation and geopolitical uncertainty. He commented, "But if we look at the historical numbers, maybe the grim reaper should hold onto his horses." Henry looked at quarterly returns for stocks and bonds since 1986 and found that there were nine quarters when the prices of both bonds and stocks fell in tandem and it has only happened once since 1986 in consecutive quarters, the first and second quarters of this year. He stated, "Breakdowns in diversification like we have seen this year, are rare. We then looked at 12-month forward returns for a 60/40 asset allocation following quarters where stocks and bonds fell together and returns were pretty healthy following those quarters.”

Finsum: An investment manager still believes in the 60/40 portfolio model as it is pretty rare for stocks and bonds to fall in tandem.

According to a recent report by Fitch Ratings, U.S. insurers are expected to continue to increase their fixed-income ETF holdings. In December, New York introduced new guidelines that allowed a fixed income ETF to receive bond-like capital treatment if the ETF is rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. However, if rated, an ETF can receive this treatment only if it is invested in fixed income securities and cash, is passively managed, and has at least $1 billion in assets under management, among other criteria. So far, Fitch has rated 10 fixed-income ETFs from VanEck, Vanguard, and Invesco. Insurers have previously sought to increase their ETF holdings due to a mix of diversification, increased liquidity, and the ability to adjust overall portfolio allocations. According to SNL data, ETF holdings at insurers jumped from $3 billion in 2016 to $9.8 billion at the end of 2021.

Finsum:Since New York introduced new guidelines that allowed a fixed income ETF to receive bond-like capital treatment, insurers have been increasing their fixed income ETF holdings. 

When an investor owns a target date fund, the asset mix shifts over time. For younger investors, the portfolio emphasizes equities and allocates less to long-duration fixed income. When investors get older and approach retirement, target-date funds reduce the equity exposure and add duration to fixed income. Tyler Thorn, a multi-sector portfolio manager at PGIM Fixed Income, told Pension & Investments that this is the opposite of how duration should be managed. He believes that a target-date fund’s duration goes in the wrong direction. He stated, “Instead of starting low and rising with age, it should start high and decline with age.” Thorn believes that younger investors need more duration exposure since they will be spending a lot more in the future. Thorn also believes that if these changes were implemented, they could make the 60/40 portfolio more viable.

Finsum:A PGIM Fixed Income manager believes that the 60/40 portfolio can be fixed if bond duration was managed differently.

The Great Debate. 60 Minutes’ Point Counter Point.

Call it what you want, but over time, there’s been a perpetual back and forth over this: should investors leverage active or passive strategies when committing dollars in fixed income markets, according to wellington.com.

Problem is, in light of the diatribe, a question remains: is the investor hitting the mark in terms of their investment goal or merely maintain a scent on a particular benchmark. The main issue, then, is whether investors are all In on the “appropriateness” of fixed

A perpetual discussion among those in financial services: active opposed to passive investment, according to ftadviser.com.

On one hand, as far as fees are considered, passively managed funds are viewed as easier on the wallet. Conversely, active managers purportedly offer valuable expertise; that’s why their rates are slightly higher.

Also asked is why large bond allocations might be the hands of investors. Is it for income? If so, do they want to fork over money to a manager to provide that little extra?, the site continued.  

During a recent Goldman Sachs webcast, advisors were surveyed and asked by VettaFi: “When it comes to fixed income investing, do you believe in active management, passive management, or a mix?” according to etftrends.com.

Fifty five percent touted a cocktail of active and passive, while 36% firmly fell into the passive camp. Active drew nine percent.

While active strategies still are in vogue and when it comes to their relative upside,, advisors must have their antenna up, according to data from VettaFi.

A manager at Artemis believes now is the perfect time to consider active fixed income solutions. Grace Le, who co-manages the Artemis Corporate Bond Fund, told Financial Times that an active bond manager’s job is to protect their clients during uncertain times and that is exactly what we are experiencing now. She believes that the reversal of quantitative easing led to more volatility in bond markets, resulting in a “boon for active investors.” Investors are dealing with inflation, macroeconomic uncertainty, and the potential for a recession. Muzinich & Co's co-head of public markets Michael McEachern told the publication that active managers can invest in shorter-duration bonds less impacted by increasing rates and rotate into higher-quality credit that is less sensitive to the current environment. Managers can also avoid concentration in a portfolio and deploy carry trades, which means borrowing at a low-interest rate and investing in an asset that provides a higher return.

Finsum:According to two bond fund managers,investors should consider active fixed income in times of economic and market uncertainty.