How Bond Funds Can Outperform Equities
Three years ago, the US credit system experienced something of a collapse, sending global markets into a whirlwind (a downward whirlwind it should be added). With that, a lot of investors were reminded of the importance of a proper asset allocation model, forcing them to re-examine their risk tolerance levels.
Since the market caused many sleepless nights and self-doubt, the topic of risk tolerance has resurfaced, forcing both aggressive investors and conservative savers to realize that their traditional savings and wealth-building vehicles needed to change. For the conservative investor, that came with the realization that term deposits and treasuries could not be relied upon to maintain anything more than the rate of inflation.
For the aggressive investor, the implications were probably more grave. It meant proper diversification needed to take center stage. That meant finding opportunities in the income class, a class that might have been ignore completely in the past.
But the income class has evolved tremendously over the last decade or so. Increasingly, bond funds have taken on greater risk profiles, investing high yield investments that not only provide better income streams, but whose underlying debt respond to various market forces in much the same way that equity assets respond.
In fact, many high yield investments today are more volatile that many conservative equity funds, providing not only greater income stream and growth into the funds and to investors, but less overall risk than similar equity funds.
In taking a look at both bond and equity funds, the lower real risk will always be with the bond funds. Where there has been a problem is in the rating companies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, both of which came under scrutiny during the CDO collapse of 2007 and 2008. What was once an investment-grade bond two years ago is now a B rated and with the spread between government and corporate having widened over the years, only the investor stands to benefit.
Some of the best bond funds will generate returns far greater than conservative equity funds. Expenses are low because trading is lower. Overall, bond funds can provide better returns than equity funds, with less risk. They are clearly worth considering. - 23210
Since the market caused many sleepless nights and self-doubt, the topic of risk tolerance has resurfaced, forcing both aggressive investors and conservative savers to realize that their traditional savings and wealth-building vehicles needed to change. For the conservative investor, that came with the realization that term deposits and treasuries could not be relied upon to maintain anything more than the rate of inflation.
For the aggressive investor, the implications were probably more grave. It meant proper diversification needed to take center stage. That meant finding opportunities in the income class, a class that might have been ignore completely in the past.
But the income class has evolved tremendously over the last decade or so. Increasingly, bond funds have taken on greater risk profiles, investing high yield investments that not only provide better income streams, but whose underlying debt respond to various market forces in much the same way that equity assets respond.
In fact, many high yield investments today are more volatile that many conservative equity funds, providing not only greater income stream and growth into the funds and to investors, but less overall risk than similar equity funds.
In taking a look at both bond and equity funds, the lower real risk will always be with the bond funds. Where there has been a problem is in the rating companies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, both of which came under scrutiny during the CDO collapse of 2007 and 2008. What was once an investment-grade bond two years ago is now a B rated and with the spread between government and corporate having widened over the years, only the investor stands to benefit.
Some of the best bond funds will generate returns far greater than conservative equity funds. Expenses are low because trading is lower. Overall, bond funds can provide better returns than equity funds, with less risk. They are clearly worth considering. - 23210
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posted by X - Men @ 5:01 AM
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