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Friday, May 24, 11:54 AM A bit of selling by investors in high-yield ETFs (HYG, JNK) has Wall Street banks stepping in - their holdings of junk paper rising 37% to $7.7B in the last 2 weeks. Also at work suggests JPMorgan's team is banks' - used to being cautious the past few years - becoming a little more comfortable with trading activity. Comment! [Financials]
Thursday, May 23, 10:12 AM The ProShares High Yield-Interest Rate Hedged ETF (HYHG) starts trading today joining the likes of HYLS and THHY. The fund will short Treasurys to offset its exposure to high-yield corporate debt and comes with an expense ratio of 0.50% - significantly lower than THHY (1.45%) and HYLS (1.19%). Comment!
Monday, May 20, 12:30 PM The hot market for corporate junk (HYG, JNK) has pushed the yield on high-yield corporates (4.88%) well below that of high-yield municipals (5.22% nominally, over 8% on a tax-equivalent basis). The nominal spread of 34 bps is down from 56 bps a week ago as investors take notice of the anomaly. High-yield muni ETFs: HYD, HYMB, XMPT. 3 Comments
Monday, May 20, 9:47 AM UBS' 5 "suspected" asset bubbles: 1) Risk-free rates - specifically Treasurys (TLT), Bunds (BUND, BUNL), JGBs (JGBL, JGBT, JGBD, JGBS) 2) Credit (HYG, JNK) 3) Real estate in Asia (WPS) 4) Certain EM equity markets (EIDO, IDXJ, EPHE, THD, EWW) 5) Australian banks (WBK, NABZY.PK, ANZBY.PK, CMWAY.PK). Comment!
Friday, May 10, 5:57 AM Don't panic, Moody's says, there's "no strong evidence that recent [corporate debt] issuance levels presage a damaging correction." The notion that a bubble is building in the corporate bond market isn't reflected in credit spreads which, for both investment grade (LQD) and high yield (HYG, JNK), are closer to long-run averages than they are to alarmingly tight. Furthermore, the ratings agency says a surge in issuance reflects the "disintermediation of the banking sector" and notes that the proportion of total corporate liabilities comprised of debt securities hasn't significantly increased over the past two years." We can all rest easy now. (previous) 2 Comments
Wednesday, May 8, 11:38 AM The 5% yield barrier on junk bonds (HYG, JNK) is broken for the first time ever, the Barclays U.S. High Yield Index sliding to 4.97% (prior to Jan., the yield had never fallen below 6%). Spreads to Treasurys remain at a not-unreasonable 406 bps, far wider than the record-tight 223 points reached just as the gates of financial heck were about to open in 2007. In the meantime, the equity of highly non-wobbly companies like RDS.A, VOD, and GSK yields in the area of 5%. "We don't want to question the market," writes the FT's David Keohane, "but: what the (heck)?" 7 Comments
Monday, May 6, 1:04 PM It's an easy market to hate, but junk bond prices (HYG, JNK) keep going higher, the yield on the benchmark BAML index hitting an all-time low of 5.084%. The spread to Treasurys - treading water for awhile at 475 bps - has broken through that resistance, and is now at 4.33%. The Fed's role here is well-documented, but the latest meme has the BOJ's easing efforts as forcing a fresh wave of cash into the sector. 8 Comments
Friday, April 12, 12:28 PM Fixed-income may not be being given away as it was in 2010, but there's still value, says Jeff Gundlach, scoffing at talk of a bond bubble. "Raise your hand" if you own Treasurys for yourself or a client, he asked a room full of advisors (none went up). Bonds are not "over-owned" in the U.S., he says, showing cash and fixed income make up a higher percentage of household financial assets in other countries. 5 Comments [U.S. Economy]
Friday, March 22, 10:25 AM The recently announced Market Vectors Treasury-Hedged High Yield Bond ETF THHY starts trading today. The fund invests in high-yield bonds, but hedges interest rate risk by shorting Treasurys. It comes with a high expense ratio of 1.45% as compared to similar funds HYLS (1.19%), GYLD and MINC (0.75%). Comment!
Wednesday, March 20, 10:11 AM The term "high-yield" doesn't quite cut it anymore as the 30-day SEC yield on the High-Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) threatens to drop below 5%. 4 Comments [Financials]
Monday, March 4, 9:23 AM The growing consensus against junk bonds in a picture shows soaring short interest in HYG. (via Stifel, h/t ukarlewitz) Comment!
Thursday, February 28, 8:25 AM Dan Fuss - a bond king even if that title is usually reserved for someone else - takes junk bond (HYG, JNK) exposure in his Loomis Sayles Bond Fund down to 24% of AUM, its lowest level ever. "The 'don't fight the Fed' mentality ... will have to reconcile at some point with the macroeconomic reality that there's more risk in the world than the market is choosing to acknowledge," says DoubleLine's Bonnie Baha, nodding in agreement with Fuss. Comment! [Financials]
Wednesday, February 27, 11:10 AM Leading off his latest outlook with Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance" line, Bill Gross (BOND) ponders its application to credit markets (LQD, HYG, JNK) today. Conclusion: Not yet. Labeling credit irrationality a 6 on a scale of 1-10, Gross suggests not selling, but instead lowering expectations.
1 Comment [U.S. Economy]
Friday, February 22, 10:09 AM The soon-to-hit Market Vectors High-Yield/Treasury ETF (THHY) - by going long high-yield and short 5-year Treasurys - aims to protect against rising rates. Rising Treasury rates, that is. What happens if the economy worsens, Treasury yields fall, and high-yield rates rise? In golf it's known as the dreaded double-cross. 2 Comments [Financials]
Tuesday, February 19, 8:52 AM Calling investors "handcuffed volunteers," Howard Marks says the people buying high-yield (HYG, JNK) at 6% are doing so only because T-bills pay 0.25%. These investors weren't buying 10 years ago at 12% or 4 years ago at 20%. "Are they doing it because they are pie-eyed optimists? No, (but) because they have to have income to eat." 3 Comments [Financials]
Friday, February 15, 8:06 AM It's fashionable to bash the high-yield sector (HYG, JNK), but UBS has a kind word to say. On a relative basis, valuation is still attractive, with yields 500 basis points higher than Treasurys leaving plenty of room to tighten. Issuer quality isn't as bad as reported, they say, with just 20% of new paper at CCC or less, vs. 35% in 2007. 2 Comments [Financials]

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