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Growth And Surging Popularity Of Unconstrained Bond Funds

By Hong Xie In the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, one noticeable trend in fixed income investment is the growth and popularity of unconstrained bond funds. They have generated strong interest in the investment industry due to the flexibility they offer in duration management and the broader investment universe. Because they are not managed against a specific benchmark, unconstrained bond funds may also pose challenges for investors in understanding and measuring their performance. The global financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the economic recession that followed prompted unprecedented quantitative easing monetary policies across many countries. Not only were short-term interest rates lowered to either zero or close to zero, but quantitative easing was also adopted in places such as the U.S., the U.K., the eurozone, and Japan to flatten the yield curve and keep long-term interest rates low. As the U.S. economy continues to recover and the Fed starts to increase interest rates, many investors have concerns about holding core fixed income products with high interest-rate risk in a rising-rate environment. It is this widespread market sentiment that has driven the surging popularity of unconstrained bond funds, which offer wide latitude to fund managers on duration management and investment selection. We use fund data from Morningstar to gauge the size and growth of unconstrained bond funds. In particular, we screen for funds categorized as “U.S. OE Nontraditional Bonds” by Morningstar, while excluding those with mandates in specific sectors or with duration constraints. As of November 2015, there were 122 open-ended mutual funds with total assets under management (AUM) of USD 140 billion in our data set, in comparison with 19 funds with AUM of USD 9 billion at the end of 2008 (see Exhibit 1). Even though the first fund started in 1969, it wasn’t until after the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 that unconstrained bond funds started gaining traction among investors. Exhibits 1 and 2 show the rapid growth of unconstrained bond funds since 2008 in terms of both AUM and number of funds. Disclosure: © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2015. Indexology® is a trademark of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (SPDJI). S&P® is a trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones® is a trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, and those marks have been licensed to S&P DJI. This material is reproduced with the prior written consent of S&P DJI. For more information on S&P DJI and to see our full disclaimer, visit www.spdji.com/terms-of-use .

Apple, Facebook, Netflix Stocks Face Key Technical Tests

Facebook ( FB ), Apple ( AAPL ) and Netflix ( NFLX ) are among the coolest and widely used tech companies. But their stocks have struggle to break through key levels in recent sessions. Facebook is trying to stay in sight of a buy point, while Apple and Netflix keep bumping into resistance at their 200-day moving averages. Facebook A Buy, or Bye-Bye? Facebook holds its big F8 Developers Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, with analysts and investors eager to hear what Mark Zuckerberg has on offer. The stock has formed a cup-with-handle base that started when it peaked at 117.59 on Feb. 2. Shares have formed a handle with a buy point at 117.09. But Facebook fell 2.7% on Friday and 4.7% for the week and its stock is now closer to its 50-day line than buy area. Facebook users are posting less  on the site, according to Friday reports that helped pushed the stock lower. Get a better read on Facebook’s stock health and how it stacks up vs. rivals at IBD Stock Checkup Apple Looks To Break Above 200-Day Apple has rallied nearly 18% since hitting 92.39 on Jan. 28 to 108.66 but is still down 19% from its record high of 134.54 set in April 2015. Twice last week Apple closed within 20 cents of its downward sloping 200-day moving average. The stock hasn’t closed above the line since early October. Apple recently released a new 4-inch iPhone SE along with a smaller iPad Pro. Both have gotten solid reviews, but neither is likely to be a huge blockbuster. Apple is expected to post its first year-over-year sales decline in years later this month. Sales may continue to struggle at least until Apple releases its iPhone 7 later this year. Netflix Looks To Rewrite Script Netflix hasn’t closed above its 200-day average since Jan. 20. Twice last week the stock crossed that technical line intraday but ended below that level. On Friday, Wall Street analyst Richard Greenfield said Walt Disney ( DIS ) should buy Netflix. A Disney-Netflix deal would give the Mouse a leader in video streaming and provide a possible future leader in Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. That unsolicited advice didn’t move Netflix’s stock though. Netflix is spending heavily on expansion and content. While revenue growth has been strong and consistent, profits have fallen for the last three quarters and aren’t projected to rise until Q4 2017. But analysts are betting on powerful earnings growth from 2018-2021.