Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent (2024)

Active fixed income research team

Active fixed income at Vanguard

Note:Data as of March 31, 2024.

Vanguard perspectives series

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  • Market perspectives: Turn to Vanguard’s senior economists each month for projected returns and monthly economic highlights on inflation, growth, and expected Fed actions.
  • Portfolio perspectives: Address evolving issues that may affect your clients’ portfolios with monthly updates from our Portfolio Solutions team.
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For more information about Vanguard funds or Vanguard ETFs, visit advisors.vanguard.com or call 800-997-2798 to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing Fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.

Bonds of companies based in emerging markets are subject to national and regional political and economic risks and to the risk of currency fluctuations. These risks are especially high in emerging markets.

High-yield bonds generally have medium- and lower-range credit-quality ratings and are therefore subject to a higher level of credit risk than bonds with higher credit-quality ratings.

Bond funds are subject to interest rate risk, which is the chance bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates, and credit risk, which is the chance a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline.

U.S. government backing of Treasury or agency securities applies only to the underlying securities and does not prevent share-price fluctuations. Unlike stocks and bonds, U.S. Treasury bills are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest.

Investments in bonds issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk.

Although the income from a municipal bond fund is exempt from federal tax, you may owe taxes on any capital gains realized through the fund’s trading or through your own redemption of shares. For some investors, a portion of the fund’s income may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as to the federal Alternative Minimum Tax.

Be aware that fluctuations in the financial markets and other factors may cause declines in the value of your account. There is no guarantee that any particular asset allocation or mix of funds will meet your investment objectives or provide you with a given level of income.

IMPORTANT: The projections and other information generated by the Vanguard Capital Markets Model (VCMM) regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results. VCMM results will vary with each use and over time.

The VCMM projections are based on a statistical analysis of historical data. Future returns may behave differently from the historical patterns captured in the VCMM. More important, the VCMM may be underestimating extreme negative scenarios unobserved in the historical period on which the model estimation is based.

The Vanguard Capital Markets Model® is a proprietary financial simulation tool developed and maintained by Vanguard’s primary investment research and advice teams. The model forecasts distributions of future returns for a wide array of broad asset classes. Those asset classes include U.S. and international equity markets, several maturities of the U.S. Treasury and corporate fixed income markets, international fixed income markets, U.S. money markets, commodities, and certain alternative investment strategies. The theoretical and empirical foundation for the Vanguard Capital Markets Model is that the returns of various asset classes reflect the compensation investors require for bearing different types of systematic risk (beta). At the core of the model are estimates of the dynamic statistical relationship between risk factors and asset returns, obtained from statistical analysis based on available monthly financial and economic data from as early as 1960. Using a system of estimated equations, the model then applies a Monte Carlo simulation method to project the estimated interrelationships among risk factors and asset classes as well as uncertainty and randomness over time. The model generates a large set of simulated outcomes for each asset class over several time horizons. Forecasts are obtained by computing measures of central tendency in these simulations. Results produced by the tool will vary with each use and over time.

CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.

Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent (2024)

FAQs

Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent? ›

If above-trend growth and persistent inflation continue, the Fed could have limited room to cut rates and may need to keep them on hold until later in the year. Policy, and investors, will be data dependent.

Should you buy bonds when interest rates are high? ›

Should I only buy bonds when interest rates are high? There are advantages to purchasing bonds after interest rates have risen. Along with generating a larger income stream, such bonds may be subject to less interest rate risk, as there may be a reduced chance of rates moving significantly higher from current levels.

Which Vanguard bonds to invest in? ›

  • Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)
  • Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX)
  • Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW)
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF (VUSB)
  • Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWAHX)
  • Vanguard Core-Plus Bond Fund Investor Shares (VCPIX)
May 15, 2024

What is an active bond ETF? ›

Vanguard Core Bond (VCRB) and Vanguard Core-Plus Bond (VPLS) are active fixed income ETFs that can serve as a single-fund fixed income holding. They both provide actively managed exposure to the broad U.S. fixed income market and are diversified across a range of sectors, credit qualities, and maturities.

What is the Vanguard market perspective for February 2024? ›

Vanguard foresees full-year 2024 economic growth of 1.5%–2%, core inflation falling to 3.6%–3.8% by year-end, and the overnight interbank rate being cut to 9%–9.5% by year-end.

Is it a good time to buy bonds in 2024? ›

Starting yields, potential rate cuts and a return to contrasting performance for stocks and bonds could mean an attractive environment for fixed income in 2024.

Is it a good or bad time to buy bonds? ›

Answer: Now may be the perfect time to invest in bonds. Yields are at levels you could only dream of 15 years ago, so you'd be locking in substantial, regular income. And, of course, bonds act as a diversifier to your stock portfolio.

What Vanguard fund is best for retirees? ›

The 6 Best Vanguard Funds for Retirement
Vanguard FundExpense Ratio
Vanguard Growth and Income Fund Investor Shares (VQNPX)0.32%
Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor Shares (VEXPX)0.45%
Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Admiral Shares (VTMFX)0.09%
Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund (VWAHX)0.17%
2 more rows
May 21, 2024

What is the best fixed income investment? ›

Best fixed-income investment vehicles
  • Bond funds. ...
  • Municipal bonds. ...
  • High-yield bonds. ...
  • Money market fund. ...
  • Preferred stock. ...
  • Corporate bonds. ...
  • Certificates of deposit. ...
  • Treasury securities.
Mar 31, 2024

Which Vanguard fund has the highest return? ›

Top performing investment funds owned by Vanguard worldwide 2024, by one-year return. As of May 2024, the Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund provided the highest one-year return rate. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index ranked second having a one-year return rate of 37.4 percent.

Do active bond funds outperform? ›

Active bond funds outperformed their passive peers in 2023, Morningstar says. These are top performers.

Is it better to buy bonds or bond ETFs? ›

For many investors, investing in the right bond funds can be a better option than holding a portfolio of individual bonds. Bond ETFs can provide better diversification — often for a lower cost — can offer higher liquidity, and can be easier to implement.

What is the best bond ETF? ›

  • Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV)
  • Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV)
  • Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV)
  • iShares MBS ETF (MBB)
  • iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV)
  • iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF (QLTA)
  • SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK)
  • Pimco Active Bond ETF (BOND)
May 7, 2024

What is the Vanguard projection for 2024? ›

We continue to forecast about 4% average 2024 GDP growth for emerging markets worldwide, led by growth of about 5.0% for emerging Asia. We anticipate growth of 2.0%–2.5% for emerging Europe and Latin America, though U.S. growth could have positive implications for Mexico and all of Latin America.

What happens if Vanguard collapses? ›

The securities that underlie the funds are held by a custodian, not by Vanguard. Vanguard is paid by the funds to provide administration and other services. If Vanguard ever did go bankrupt, the funds would not be affected and would simply hire another firm to provide these services.

Is Vanguard financially stable? ›

About Vanguard

Vanguard's mission is to "take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success."6 It prides itself on its stability, transparency, low costs, and risk management.

Can you lose money on bonds if held to maturity? ›

After bonds are initially issued, their worth will fluctuate like a stock's would. If you're holding the bond to maturity, the fluctuations won't matter—your interest payments and face value won't change.

When you expected interest rates to rise you would prefer to own bonds with? ›

If rates are expected to increase, consider bonds with shorter durations. These bonds will be less sensitive to a rise in yields and will fall in price less than bonds with higher durations. If rates are expected to decline, consider bonds with higher durations.

Are I bonds a good investment now? ›

Despite the expected rate decline, I bonds are “still a good deal” for long-term investors, according to Ken Tumin, founder and editor of DepositAccounts.com, which closely tracks these assets.

Who benefits when yields or interest rates are high? ›

The winners. Unsurprisingly, bond buyers, lenders, and savers all benefit from higher rates in the early days.

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