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Fixed Income

Braving the unknown: high yield debt

Option-adjusted spreads for US high yield are above 700 basis points, a stress event threshold only breached four other times in the last two decades.  Mercer's Nathan Struemph examines the considerations for investors looking at these investments including the range of return outcomes in prior stress events, the path investors had to experience in reaching those outcomes, and the impact of implementation timeliness on returns.
Fixed Income

Dislocated credit market opportunities

Credit opportunities within long-only fixed income, hedge funds and private markets are broad and likely to expand as the economic impact of COVID-19 is reflected in corporate earnings and balance sheets. This type of environment has historically led to investment opportunities for long-term investors across the credit spectrum. Investors seeking to benefit from credit dislocation should ensure that suitable portfolio allocations are in place.
Fixed Income

APG China strategy: In-house with E Fund

APG's capacity to carry out its own research has meant it is ahead of the curve in allocation millions to its first local currency China fixed income strategy. APG is also setting itself up to be a catalyst for change and aims to set new standards on ESG in China.
Fixed Income

OTPP bucks trend, keeps buying bonds

Just as some of the world’s largest pensions funds sell down their fixed income holdings in favour of equities and private assets, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has been buying more in 2019 as it seeks to rebalance the portfolio in the event of an economic downturn.
Harvard 2019

Threats to equity bond correlation

A full-blown trade war, and changes in monetary policy triggered by a loss of credibility in the Federal Reserve and other global policy institutions, could result in a return of the positive correlation between bonds and stocks, and investors need to be aware of the risk, warned Luis Viceira, George E. Bates Professor in the Finance Unit and Senior Associate Dean for Executive Education at Harvard Business School, at the Fiduciary Investors’ Symposium at Harvard University.
Investor Profile

Wisconsin’s data solution

David Villa, CIO of the $110 billion State of Wisconsin Investment Board is worried about the outlook for returns. As a result he’s significantly underweight sovereign bonds in favour of cash. But he’s also positioning the organisation to do better analytics for more complicated portfolios, another result of a low return environment. The fund is working on at least five data and technology projects and has hired a chief technology and operations officer.