There are 70 item(s) tagged with the keyword "Aegon Asset Management".
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So far, much of 2024 has been a waiting game with the market focused on US inflation and when it might spur the Federal Reserve (Fed) to cut interest rates. However, there have been signs that the Fed’s string of rate hikes may finally be bringing inflation under control. Monthly inflation was flat in May—its lowest level since July 2022—which helped push the year-over-year inflation rate down to 3.3% from 3.4% in April.
In the latest Strategic Thinking video, Alex Pelteshki, co-manager of the Aegon Strategic Bond strategies, discusses the current market environment with central bankers across both sides of the Atlantic rushing to repeat that the path of their policy rates is exclusively data dependent from here on. Alex also talks about the market reaction and the outlook for fixed income, explaining why the team believe there is room for the US Treasury Yield curve to become steeper by year end, making it one of the biggest opportunities out there.
The dust is settling on a historic election result. A Labour landslide on the scale of 1997 gives new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer a huge majority and leaves the Conservatives licking their wounds, having gained their lowest share of the vote and lowest number of MPs ever. The reaction of financial markets was less spectacular though.
Hot on the heels of Meta Platforms, tech giant Alphabet has joined the dividend game. Both companies’ join Microsoft, Apple and Nvidia as ‘big tech’ dividend payers. Beneath the surface more tech dividends are emerging, with Salesforce and Booking.com having their dividend debuts in 2024. This is a significant development for a space with a long-held preference for buybacks.
For income-oriented investors, now is the time for bonds. As rates have shifted higher, coupon rates on newly issued bonds have continued to climb higher, offering income opportunities rarely seen in recent years. Notably, we think high yield bonds are worth a closer look as they provide high income and compelling total return potential.
Back in 2020, I penned an article titled ‘The Dividend Dilemma’. It was the depths of the Covid-induced market selloff; companies were cutting or suspending dividends left, right and center; and analysts were predicting big cuts to global dividends from which they would take years to recover. I anticipated a fall of around 30%.
High yield and investment grade credit markets continue to look very attractive on a multi-year horizon. In fact, we find the market as attractive as it has been in nearly two decades. High yield looked great at the tail end of 2023 with the yield-to-worst on the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Corporate Index pushing over 9%. At end of March 2024, it is 7.7%, which is still above 15-year averages. Likewise, yields in investment grade credit also look appealing. The yield-to-worst on the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index is above 5%, again a multi-year high. This still represents a good starting point and is also one of the main reasons we are positive on bonds this year.
The maturity wall has been a hot topic lately—and rightfully so. After all, the ability of issuers to repay their debt obligations is a key consideration for bond investors. And assessing the upcoming maturity schedule becomes even more critical for high yield companies, some of which may face strained liquidity or challenges accessing capital markets.
In the latest Strategic Thinking video, Colin Finlayson, co-manager of the Aegon Strategic Bond strategies, examines recent dynamics within the fixed income market, particularly the divergent performance between government bonds and corporate bonds. He discusses what’s driving this dynamic, if it’s likely to continue and what this means for the Aegon strategic bond strategies.
Rising rates have led to attractive yields across the fixed income market. However, corporate credit spreads are tight. This leaves many investors grappling with the valuations conundrum, as they debate yields versus spreads to determine their fixed income allocations. Will slowing economic conditions result in spread widening? Do higher yields provide a sufficient cushion against downside risk? And is now the time to add fixed income exposure?
Displaying: 1 - 10 of 70