The waiting game The waiting game http://www.federatedinvestors.com/texPool/static/images/texpool/texpool-logo-amp.png http://www.federatedinvestors.com/texPool/daf\images\insights\article\passengers-boarding-gate-small.jpg April 28 2023 January 17 2023

The waiting game

2022 was all about rates; this year is more nuanced.

Published January 17 2023
Improving outlook for munis

Moderating inflation data and the highest muni yields in more than a decade supported demand for muni bonds amid low new issuance in Q4, producing total returns above 4% for the Bloomberg Muni Bond Index. We expect investors to continue favoring high quality bonds amid elevated recession risks in 2023, a framework that suits the high-quality municipal bond market very well. With AA-rated average credit quality and strong credit fundamentals for most municipal sectors, we think the muni market is well-positioned for favorable returns in the year ahead. In the high-yield end of the muni market, credit quality, wider spreads after 2022’s bonds sell-off and potentially declining yield volatility also are positives, countered by the rising risk of recession. —R.J. Gallo 

In 2022, one of the most challenging years ever for bonds, a majority of Federated Hermes fixed-income portfolios outperformed their benchmarks. A key reason? Our rate strategies. Amid 40-year high inflation and the most aggressive Fed tightening since Paul Volcker was chair, our fixed-income committees that advise on rates (aka the duration and yield curve Alpha Pods) generated significant alpha in an extraordinary rising-rate environment. The year saw yields soar across the curve and particularly on the short-to-intermediate end, from more than 200 basis points on the 30-year Treasury to almost 370 basis points on the 2-year.

It’s unrealistic to expect as much alpha from interest-rate rate management this year. With the Fed nearing the end of its cycle and last year’s massive repricing creating more symmetric risks, a rangebound trade seems more likely as countervailing forces play out. On the one hand, a slowing if not outright recession in the U.S. and Europe, easing headline inflation and an eventual Fed pause represent downside risk to yields. On the other hand, tight labor markets, persistent wage and services inflation, continued global central bank hawkishness and a reopening China argue for the opposite. It’ll take time to see which “hand” wins.

Passing the baton

In the meantime, we enter the year with a similar but not as defensive stance as last year: underweight our two biggest credit areas, investment grade (IG) and high yield corporates; modestly overweight in smaller, specialized areas such as trade finance and bank loans; and neutral on both duration and the yield curve, where we would expect to react tactically depending on which hand is winning (see above). One credit area where we are cautiously overweight is emerging-market debt. Fundamentally, this asset class stands to benefit from dollar weakness, a reopening China and higher resource prices. From a valuation perspective, its yields offer enough income to offset reasonable price depreciation even if spreads—the yield gap vs. comparable maturity Treasuries—widen.

At some point this year, we would expect to pass the alpha baton to IG and high yield. Despite last year’s volatility, spreads remained relatively well behaved on both fronts, suggesting there’s room to generate more alpha by adding to these underweights if a slowing economy disrupts earnings enough. This is particularly true for high yield, which tends to be more sensitive to earnings misses and whose shorter maturities make it more vulnerable to refinancing. Issuers that have to refinance this year would have to do so at much higher rates relative to the historic lows of just a few years ago. IG is more of another “on the one hand, on the other” case. It could suffer spread widening if earnings decline. But as a holder of companies that tend to have relatively strong balance sheets and sustainable earnings, IG may hold up better and improve more quickly, making it a more tactical play. Once it appears the economy is nearing its nadir, a shift to overweight in both IG and high yield likely will be warranted.

What if 3% is the new 2%

It all comes down to what the economy, and the Fed does. On the former, the consensus call is a recession, the only questions being of magnitude and timing. An abrupt downturn in the first half could be great for our ability to add value in credit; our underweight would protect the portfolios as spreads blowout, and then would give us an opportunity to reset overweights for a new run. A slower downturn that flirts with recession—a “slow-cession” as some call it—could prolong uncertainties and keep markets in a holding pattern, i.e., rangebound. It does seem unlikely the economy, which closed 2022 much stronger than many thought, will rapidly downshift to negative growth, especially with the labor market remaining so tight and consumer and corporate balance sheets still relatively healthy.

As for the Fed, this underlying consumer and corporate financial health may be the issue. It seems desperate to get inflation back on track to 2%. It would have to do an awful lot of damage given the economy’s relatively solid underlying state. And what if in today’s global economy, where aging demographics and massive sovereign debt represent significant structural headwinds to disinflation, 3% is the new 2%? For its part, the Fed seems to be playing chicken with the market, which continues to price an earlier end to tightening than Fed rhetoric and dot plots suggest. The market was right about the Fed being wrong about “transitory.” Will it be right again about an earlier end? Does the answer matter? Nuggets to chew on as we make small bets on the margin and play the waiting game.

Tags 2023 Outlook . Fixed Income .
DISCLOSURES

Views are as of the date above and are subject to change based on market conditions and other factors. These views should not be construed as a recommendation for any specific security or sector.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Alpha measures the excess returns of a fund relative to the return of a benchmark index.

Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index: A market-value-weighted index for the long-term tax-exempt bond market. To be included in the index, bonds must have a minimum credit rating of Baa. They must have an outstanding par value of at least $7 million and be issues as part of a transaction of at least $75 million. The bonds must be fixed rate, have a dated-date after December 31, 1990, and must be at least one year from their maturity date. Indexes are unmanaged and investments cannot be made in an index.

Bond credit ratings measure the risk that a security will default. Credit ratings of A or better are considered to be high credit quality; credit ratings of BBB are good credit quality and the lowest category of investment grade; credit ratings of BB and below are lower-rated securities; and credit ratings of CCC or below have high default risk.

Bond prices are sensitive to changes in interest rates, and a rise in interest rates can cause a decline in their prices.

Diversification and asset allocation do not assure a profit nor protect against loss.

Effective Duration: A measure of a security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. One of the methods of calculating the risk associated with interest rate changes on securities such as bonds.

High-yield, lower-rated securities generally entail greater market, credit/default and liquidity risk and may be more volatile than investment-grade securities. For example, their prices are more volatile, economic downturns and financial setbacks may affect their prices more negatively, and their trading market may be more limited.

Income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax and state and local taxes.

International investing involves special risks including currency risk, increased volatility, political risks, and differences in auditing and other financial standards. Prices of emerging-market and frontier-market securities can be significantly more volatile than the prices of securities in developed countries, and currency risk and political risks are accentuated in emerging markets.

Yield Curve: Graph showing the comparative yields of securities in a particular class according to maturity. Securities on the long end of the yield curve have longer maturities.

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