Fixed Income

Brexit deliberations are currently at a standstill in the UK parliament, as are negotiations with EU representatives. The next steps in the exit process are clouded in uncertainty, with numerous options on the table. In this environment, it’s no surprise that investors are still demanding a spread premium for sterling denominated credit, over and above comparable euro denominated issues.

Despite boasting some of the lowest default rates across the global fixed income market, as well as higher yields and greater investor protections than vanilla corporate bonds of the same rating, Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) remains an under-utilised market for many pension funds. TwentyFour partner Ben Hayward outlines five things every investor should keep in mind when looking at this compelling asset class.

With markets now pricing in two cuts in the Fed Funds rate this year, and a 97% chance of at least one cut, once again the FOMC members are at odds with the financial markets.

In the ABS market we often refer to the technical around supply and demand which can influence the direction of spreads as a consequence.

One of the main drivers of global markets at the moment is the exact status of the economic cycle in the United States, and on a related note, what the Federal Reserve’s next moves are likely to be. One question we are being asked more and more often by investors is whether we think a recession is coming in the US, and if so, when?

Earlier this year Santander became the first bank not to call its Additional Tier 1 (AT1 or ‘CoCo’) bonds at the first call date

TwentyFour CEO Mark Holman explains how high conviction thinking runs right through the firm’s investment process, and why he believes a concentrated, flexible portfolio is critical to combatting the unique challenges facing fixed income markets today.

Since the result of the UK referendum in June 2016 there has been a noticeable ‘Brexit-premium’ associated with most sterling denominated assets.

TwentyFour Asset Management CEO, Mark Holman, explains how high conviction has been made an integral part of the firm's investment process, and why he is in no doubt this approach can lead to material outperformance over the longer term.

Last Friday’s strong US GDP reading for the first quarter has sparked several days of debate between TwentyFour portfolio managers. The 3.2% reading was 100bp ahead of consensus, so a strong beat at the headline level, but the components accounting for it, such as inventory building, suggested the figure was an aberration and likely to reverse in Q2.

TwentyFour Asset Management, the London-based fixed income boutique of Vontobel Asset Management, has appointed Paul Kim as an analyst in its New York office.

Emerging Market (EM) bonds have had a good year so far. While they are not at the very top of the performance table, the hard currency CEMBI (Corporate Emerging Markets Bond Index) is up 5.69% in $ since the start of the year, and the EMBI (Sovereigns) is up 6.32%; not bad at all.