- Investors have poured money into exchange traded funds focused on the US bond market this year, despite a historic sell-off in global bonds and uncertainty over when prices will rebound.
"A lot of institutions, pension funds and family offices have long-term targets that require them to have a certain percentage invested in fixed income," says Bob Tull, co-founder and president of ProcureAM, an asset manager specializing in exchange-traded products. "The easiest way to do this is by using ETFs."
But many investors find it easier to meet their fixed income allocation targets through Treasury-focused ETFs, rather than buying the underlying U.S. government bonds or other fixed income instruments.Bond ETFs are also benefiting from the long-term trend of investors diverting cash from traditional mutual funds into the ETF market, lured by their lower fees and strong liquidity.
"We may still use mutual funds for core holdings, but ETFs work better for precise targeting" and time-sensitive trades, he said."Right now, anyone who has owned bond funds for the last year or two can sell those and lock in a tax loss," says David Botset, managing director of equity product management and innovation at Charles Schwab & Co.
Warren Buffett's business partner, Charlie Munger, would be a lot richer today if he hadn't sold or donated over 75% of his Berkshire Hathaway stock.