Opportunities and Risks in a Low-Yield World

Why fixed income investors should look beyond current yield levels.

Q: Arif, first of all, is it fair to say there is little value left in fixed income markets?

A: There is a common misconception that generating alpha is just about the outright level of yield, but the current environment offers lots of opportunities through dispersion, volatility, and the shapes of yield curves. If you ignore these elements and choose to disregard fixed income simply because interest rates are low, you risk missing out. 

I want to make it clear that there is still value in government bonds. Don’t fight the central banks—their accommodative policies, such as large‑scale bond‑buying programs, provide an anchor for the short end of most developed government bonds markets. There are also some great opportunities for skilled security selection within credit markets. It appears that we are transitioning from a beta market—in which credit markets rose sharply irrespective of a company’s underlying fundamentals—to an alpha market. I believe further dispersion lies ahead, creating opportunities for active managers to generate alpha by seeking to identify the stronger companies and avoiding those with weaker fundamentals that will probably lag or potentially even face default.

Currency markets also deserve a close look as the U.S. dollar’s multiyear run of strength could be about to end. Several indicators, including an ultra‑easy Federal Reserve and the likelihood of a slower economic recovery in the U.S. than its peers, point to dollar weakness ahead. This could be an important inflection point that opens up the door for lots of other currencies to shine, such as the euro.

Q: Are you still a strong advocate of keeping duration elevated in portfolios?

A: Yes, duration remains a powerful tool. The environment is highly uncertain, with lots of potential risk events ahead that could trigger bouts of volatility and a flight into high‑quality government bonds. The upcoming U.S. presidential election, for example, is a big unknown for financial markets.

Developed government bond yields are low, but they could go even lower. The German 10‑year government bond, for example, is only in the middle of its 2019 range, so there is room for bund yields to fall further. In the U.S., it is also entirely possible for Treasury yields to decline even further and settle into a new lower trading range as long as a vaccine for the coronavirus remains unavailable. Furthermore, a move into negative yields in some parts of the Treasury market should not be ruled out even though it is unlikely that the Fed will cut interest rates below zero. In the UK, for example, the country’s debt management office started to issue some government bonds at negative yields in May this year, despite positive key lending rates.

Q: Where do you see value in credit markets?

A: The opportunities are there—you just have to search a bit harder to find them.

Credit has come a long way since March’s lows. This is particularly true for investment‑grade credit, where the beta has now largely evaporated. Let’s remind ourselves that the premium that investors demand to hold corporate bonds can be divided into three parts: a pure credit quality component (which is linked to the risk of default), a pure liquidity component, and a pure market risk component. A recent study by our quantitative analyst team shows that the premiums for both the pure liquidity and the pure market risk have already reverted back to their long‑term averages. To make additional gains in the investment‑grade space, a further tightening of the pure credit quality component would therefore be required. This could only happen if we see default expectations fall and the global economic recovery pick up pace and exceed expectations.

Q: What skills do you think are necessary to navigate the current market environment?

A: First, flexibility—the ability to extract value from different markets at different times. So far this year, duration dominated performance in the first quarter, credit dominated during the second quarter, and currency markets have dominated more recently. Having the flexibility to reallocate risk within the global fixed income universe has been crucial, and I expect this to remain the case.

Q: What could be the catalyst for a change in fixed income markets?

A: The closest big unknown is November’s U.S. presidential election. It’s hard to predict an outcome—anything, from an outright win by either party to a protracted legal battle, is possible. It may take several weeks before a result is validated, creating uncertainty and possibly volatility. We need to be prepared to quickly assess different potential scenarios, look beyond any short‑term volatility to evaluate the long‑term implications and what opportunities might arise as a result.

Any signs that central banks are showing less commitment to supporting markets could potentially be another game changer. Historically, major central banks such as the Fed have been keen to lift rates away from zero and taper their balance sheet as soon as they can. If we see any indications of this, we will need to act quickly as there’s a real possibility of a repeat of the 2013 taper tantrum, affecting not only core government bonds, but also credit.