All Credit articles
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White papersEuropean High Yield: A Clear Case for Active Management
Passive European high-yield strategies may not be as cheap as they appear, and may pose more risk than you think.
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VideoThe Inside Track - Public and Private Markets Outlook; Episode 3: The Credit Continuum
(08:27) In this short video, experts from our public and private markets teams share their outlook on credit markets.
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White papersMoment of truth
A hard or soft landing could throw a harsh light on corporate fundamentals in 2024. In the second set of breakout sessions from our Fixed Income Forum in London on 14 November, attendees learned of the potential in unconstrained credit, the opportunity in investment grade and the crucial role fixed income can play in the sustainability transition.
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White papersInsight across the fixed income spectrum
Federated Hermes’ Fixed Income Forum in London on 14 November, included sessions on the future of money markets, the prospects for emerging market debt, and the attraction of private credit.
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White papersNot your average credit cycle
Geopolitics, hard landings, falling consumer confidence and corporate belt-tightening could all be part of the investment picture in 2024. That was the message from Federated Hermes’ Fixed Income Forum in London on 14 November.
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Podcast2024 Public Fixed Income Outlook
From high yield and investment grade credit to emerging markets and securitized debt, what will 2024 hold for fixed income investors? Our panel of experts weighs in on the opportunities and risks ahead.
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White papersFour Reasons High Yield is More Resilient Today
The high yield bond market has undergone a fundamental shift over the last decade, with today’s higher-yielding, higher-quality market looking particularly resilient in the face of a potential downturn.
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White papersAsset Class Returns Forecasts - Q4 2023
Recent geopolitical events and macroeconomic progresses are rising uncertainty on the global outlook and led to some adjustments on the short-term trajectory within our simulation horizon.
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PodcastAll the Credit, Ep. 45 - Value Through Headwinds: What’s Next for European Banks?
What’s next for the European banking sector and insights into its relative attractiveness during a time of economic fragility for the EU.
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White papers360° Fixed Income Report, Q4 2023: Debt, deficit, dispelling doubts
In our latest fixed income report, 360°, the credit team provide an overview of the key themes shaping the fixed income narrative and their outlook for the remainder of 2023 and beyond.
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White papersNo Regrets: The ECB Keeps Policy on Hold
Inflation in the euro area is falling and the economy is rapidly weakening. Against that background, the ECB kept rates on hold at its policy meeting on October 26.
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White papersFixed income: a bull steepener as rates peak?
In past market cycles, yield-curve inversions like the one seen this year have almost always been followed by an episode of bull steepening, when short-term interest rates fall faster than those in the long term. In this issue of Alphorum, we consider the most likely yield-curve scenario from here and how it informs our positioning.
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VideoSearching for stability within private credit
Worries over interest rate, inflation and economic growth have been rattling financial markets yet demand for private credit has continued to grow. Randy Schwimmer explains why the trends that are expected to emerge should accelerate this demand either further.
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White papersInvesting in alternative credit: perspectives on opportunities and risks
Even as traditional fixed income yields appear more attractive, institutional investors continue to explore alternative credit asset classes as a way to potentially improve the risk/return profile of their portfolios.
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White papersNot all high yield is created equal
The high yield bond market has matured from its humble beginnings and is now a diverse $1.793bn marketplace for companies to achieve their capital financing needs. As it has matured, its credit quality has also increased. Today, nearly half of the high yield market is classified as BB – the highest quality credit rating. At the same time, the proportion of the weakest credits has also reduced.
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White papersFixed Income Investment Outlook 4Q 2023: Staying Airborne
Tight monetary policy is slowing growth, but we see room to avoid a hard landing in the U.S. while Europe and China remain key risks on a global basis. In a higher-for-longer rate environment, shorter maturities offer opportunity, with potential for modest duration extension in the two- to seven-year range. Within credit, we favor enhancing quality and are finding particular value in securitized markets.
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White papersPosition portfolios for a policy turn
While it is tempting to sit in still high yielding cash, we suggest adding traditional fixed income sectors. Higher income helps investors wait for the end of the rate hiking cycle, and longer duration helps position a portfolio for potential rate declines. We advocate a diversified multisector approach, focused on higher-quality credits across sectors. Active management remains critical, as credit spreads will likely widen in the coming months.
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White papersSwiss credit: approximating bond returns
What ingredients go into calculating expected bond returns? Quite a few it turns out. Using a practitioner’s method, we outline one approach to approximating returns for bonds and bond portfolios.
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White papersIdentifying ‘rising stars’ amid a darkening fundamental outlook
Despite the uncertainty facing corporate credit investors, several bright spots remain. So-called ‘rising stars’ – where credit quality and ratings are transitioning from high yield to investment grade – are undoubtedly viewed as such, and at this stage of the cycle, this is an area of the fixed income spectrum which could provide an important source of alpha for investors.
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PodcastThe Investment Podcast: The state of play in European private credit
Risk assets have repriced over the past year due to financial-market volatility and higher-than-usual levels of uncertainty surrounding issues such as terminal rates, inflation, geopolitics and economic growth. Consequently, we believe private credit currently offers unusually high potential returns while retaining its traditional defensive characteristics of low duration and security.
