Future-proof your fixed income portfolios – Part 2 of 3
Besides higher-yielding bonds, investing in liquid alternatives is another way to future-proof bond portfolios. But such ‘absolute return’ funds bring potential benefits as well as drawbacks.
Volatility
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European investors make switch to smart beta
In the first half of 2016, investors in Europe have poured in $5.7bn (€5.1bn) into smart beta funds as market capitalisation index trackers saw outflows over the period, according to Morningstar data analysed by ETF provider WisdomTree Europe. Brexit could be one of the reasons for the switch.
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High-yield bonds – on a rollercoaster ride
Not only fund flows are capricious when it comes to high-yield bonds. Investor sentiment towards the asset class also swings continuously, particularly on a country-by country- basis.
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Why are high-yield bonds so volatile?
High-yield bond volatility has increased markedly over the past two years, which is partly a reflection of mounting macroeconomic uncertainty. But the unprecedented pace at which money is flowing in and out of the asset class suggests there is something more to it.
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Will stock volatility flip when rates rise?
Low volatility stocks lose their defensive characteristics when rates go up and markets are under stress, fund managers told the audience at Expert Investor Norway last week. Is this a risk which could seriously unsettle markets, after the huge inflows into low volatility strategies in the past years?
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Part 2 of 2 – Absolute return funds cannot deliver what they promise, says Van de Ven
In part two of this video interview, Bart van de Ven of Belgian wealth manager Accuro explains why he doesn’t like absolute return funds and why he prefers to keep some cash on the sidelines instead.
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Part 1 of 2 – “Volatility is not the biggest risk for portfolios”
Bart van de Ven of Belgian wealth manager Accuro has slashed his allocation to bonds, he tells EIE’s Tjibbe Hoekstra in a video interview. He believes investors should accept higher volatility in their portfolios to be able to attain their investment goals.
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Munich’s fund selectors seek refuge in European equities
In these times of great macroeconomic uncertainty, Munich’s fund selectors are looking for a hiding place in Europe, a more popular investment destination than ever before.
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Bond squeeze: The rising risk of policy misstep
Turbulence in bond markets has left bond investors nervous and cash piles high but while more movement is expected, certainty on a few issues could see investors moving back into the market during the second half of the year.
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Volatility, high-yield and the risk of policy error
A 6.5% fall in the Shanghai stock exchange on Thursday and a 16% one-day spike in the VIX earlier on in the week are but the two most recent examples of sudden, significant market movements that have caught people off guard. Perhaps the best example, however, is the sharp compression and even sharper rise in…
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Risk-parity creates risks of its own kind, say fund managers at Expert Investor Monaco
“Huge amounts of money have been flowing into multi-asset and risk-parity funds,” said Fred Ingham, head of international hedge fund investments for Neuberger Berman, who was one of the speakers at Expert Investor Europe’s first ever event in Monaco. “Kind of all that money is predicated on similar volatility assumptions about correlations within and across…
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Investors get foretaste of bond market plunge
While government bond yields and, in particular, gilt, bund and treasury yields have all been rising in recent weeks (German 10 year yields doubled last week) the last few days have seen sudden, sharp moves that have seen investors lose significant amounts of capital. As one investor put it to Portfolio Adviser on Thursday, if…