Displaying items by tag: rates

Markets are in turmoil which has investors looking for more secure options, but American bonds are a risky option with rising yields (falling prices), which means active international is in a good position. Over the last year, 82% of active bonds have outperformed, and while that doesn’t hold up in the long run the unique conditions put them in a good position. International bonds can offer less interest rate risk, already better yields, and comparable credit profiles. The added advantage of international active funds is investors can make hedges with currency trading which can allow investors to hedge or leverage for more potential gains.

Finsum: The Fed will continue to put pressure on both bonds and equities in the U.S., and investors need a backup plan.

The IMF has warned investors that there are growing concerns about an emerging market debt crisis. There is anxiety that sluggish growth, higher interest rates, and surging inflation will hurt developing economies much more severely than developed ones. They will be disproportionately affected because highly indebted countries will have a dip in their investment and suffocate their currencies. These concerns aren’t new and emerged at the start of the pandemic, but this swell seems different. The Fed responded by pumping trillions into the economy in 2020 and they are doing the exact opposite now. Additionally, war and other risks are heightened now with Russia-Ukraine’s escalation.

Finsum: Investors searching for yield should be wary of emerging market bond funds given unprecedented risk levels.

Calling bond prices stubborn would be an understatement, and the bears have been continuing to pull investors out of the bond market in the mass exodus of outflows. The tides could be starting to shift, and the reasons are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Investing yield curves and recession indicators are flashing, which means investors will flock back to the bond market as a safe asset when equities fall. On the other side of things, if inflation is being driven by supply-side factors more than the Fed thinks, then inflation will fall dramatically, and less tapering will be needed to get there. This means bond prices could rise as yields fail to. Broad bond exposure is still a good idea with volatility rising.

Finsum: It’s been rough in the bond market the last few months, but there are economic reasons that could turn around.

The bond market has taken a beating and investment-grade debt has been anything but a safe haven for income investors. This has been one of the third-worst stretches in history as the YTD returns have been -10.5% which is only bested by the Lehman collapse in late 2008 where returns crept to -14.3% and Volcker’s days of battling high inflation and hiking rates. Investors are selling off investment-grade debt as the risk-free rates on Treasuries are climbing as the Fed’s tightening cycle is beginning. These rising yields are all corporate bond ETFs and driving returns down, but things could get worse as rates will only continue to rise and inflation is only beginning.

Finsum: Income investors need to look to active funds or abroad if they want relief in the bond market.

Not all REITs are created equally, and many have been pumping out dividends and will come to a screeching halt as the Fed begins to hike interest rates. However, three REITs are in a good position to show dividend resilience to the interest rate risk. The First is Medical Properties Trust which is a healthcare REIT that has three developing investments to create flows for dividends. VICI Properties is up next which is acquiring MGM Growth Properties and has a very low debt to EBITDA ratio which will help in securing dividend payouts. Finally, a long-term strategy is the 1st Street Office which has a consistently high dividend and shares are tied to its NAV.

Finsum: Rate hikes are slow to affect real estate compared to other assets, but aggressive hikes could move quicker.