Why Bonds, Why Now? July 28, 2022 Bonds bond funds, bonds, Chris Keith, self-healing bonds The U.S. bond market was down 10.3% through the first half of this year. What’s worse, bonds fell in tandem with stocks, causing many investors to wonder if bonds had lost their power to protect portfolios and act as a dependable hedge against volatility. The good news for bond investors is that … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Bonds Are Acting Like Bonds Again June 2, 2022 Bonds 10-year treasury, bond sell-off, bonds, Chris Keith, federal reserve, inflation It’s amazing what a turnaround in performance can do for the value of your holdings…and for your peace of mind. That’s right, bonds started behaving more like, well, bonds again in May and investors breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly there’s been a change in market sentiment, which is something I touched … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Your Bond Questions Answered May 11, 2022 Bonds bond funds vs. bonds, bonds, fed funds rate, federal reserve, inflation Concerns about the state of the bond market abound—with good reason. This is the worst start to a year for bonds in decades. In our recent webinar, Pain, Promise and the Future of Fixed Income (click here to watch the replay), I addressed the state of fixed-income affairs. Since then, … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Vanguard Stealthily Tests New Option for Brokerage Cash May 11, 2022 Adviser Fund Update bonds, Cash, i bonds, inflation, money market funds, TIPS, vanguard Vanguard is offering a new settlement fund option for your brokerage account cash—but only for some investors.Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Chart of the Week: I-Bonds vs. TIPS—What’s the Best Choice? May 9, 2022 Bonds bonds, Chart of the Week, i bonds, inflation, Jeff DeMaso, TIPS I-Bonds have gone mainstream—but are they the best option for fixed-income investors bedeviled by high inflation? As we discussed in our recent primer, I-Bonds are U.S. government savings bonds that pay a rate of interest that adjusts every six months based on inflation. Right now, that rate is 9.62%. Given … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Bonds in 2022—Pain, Promise and the Future of Fixed Income April 27, 2022 Bonds bonds, Chris Keith, fixed-income, Liz Laprade, webinar The bond market is feeling the impact of rising interest rates—does this mean bonds can’t do their job in your portfolio? Our bonds specialists have the answer to that and much more as part of our candid discussion about market performance, strategies, and our outlook for bonds in the coming … Watch Nowkeyboard_arrow_right
Can Commodities and TIPS Protect Against Inflation? April 26, 2022 Investing bonds, Charlie Toole, commodities, inflation, oil prices, TIPS, webinar Are commodities the answer to protecting your portfolio against rising prices? And what bonds options are out there to help your income keep pace? Portfolio Manager Charlie Toole discussed defending against inflation in our recent webinar,* Stocks, Bonds and the Fog of War—Our Investment Perspective. Please enjoy the excerpt below and … Listen Nowkeyboard_arrow_right
Bond Outlook Q2 2022 April 18, 2022 Bonds bonds, federal reserve, inflation, managed bonds Q2 Bond Market Outlook I won’t sugarcoat it—Q1 bond market performance was disappointing for most investors. Bonds are supposed to be the safety buffer in a portfolio, but they didn’t act that way to start the year. Instead, our portfolios got a flat tire during rush hour—making a frustrating experience even worse. … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
All About I-Bonds April 18, 2022 Bonds bond yields, bonds, i bonds, inflation, interest rates, rising rates All About I-Bonds What are I-Bonds? Well, they won’t cure high inflation or reduce volatility in the stock market, but they have become a popular portfolio component of late. You just have to keep their limitations in mind. Here’s a quick primer: Like plain-vanilla Treasury bonds, Series I U.S. Savings Bonds (I-Bonds) … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Chart of the Week: Is the Yield Curve a Sell Sign for Stocks? April 11, 2022 Economy and the Markets bonds, Chart of the Week, Jeff DeMaso, recession, stocks, yield curve The yield curve and recession talk are all over the media—heck, it was the topic of my chart of the week seven days ago (which is worth a read for a recap on what the yield curve is). While I’m in the camp that they yield curve is not yet inverted, … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Are Your Bonds Broken? March 29, 2022 Bonds bond yields, bonds, inflation, interest rates, rising rates There’s nothing wrong with your high-quality bonds, though I can’t blame you for thinking otherwise. Your eyes are not deceiving you—there’s red on the screen and market values have declined this month, which is frustrating to witness. Here’s my perspective on what it means and what it doesn’t. To begin with, I … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Dump Your Bonds? Not So Fast! February 16, 2022 Bonds bond alternatives, bond yields, bonds, Cash, inflation, interest rates I can’t blame anyone for raising their eyebrows and asking about their bond investments right now. A recent CNBC segment on bonds featured a market strategist who said he would “short the whole lot of them.” While he’s not alone in that sentiment, I wholeheartedly disagree. In fact, anytime someone tells you … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right