Has a Blue Wave changed our view on duration?

11 January 2021 (3 min read)

Written by

Nick Hayes

Head of Total Return & Fixed Income Asset Allocation

The first week of 2021 has been anything but boring. The Democrats won both Senate races in Georgia, which should allow them to pass a larger fiscal stimulus in the near term as well as pass other measures over the next two years. Yesterday, we witnessed shocking scenes in Washington DC, where protestors stormed the US Capitol as the Presidential election result was certified.

To deal with the violence in Washington first, this appears unlikely to have much of an impact on markets. We saw Treasury yields dip very slightly on the news, but the bottom line is that Trump has less than two weeks in office. The latest developments are concerning but analysis of them remains the preserve of political commentators.

The Democrats’ ‘Blue Wave’ is the bigger market story here. While unexpected immediately following the 2020 Presidential election, expectations for two Democrat wins had been growing over the past couple of months. The market reaction – a small rise in Treasury yields above 1% - was more important for breaking what some see as a psychological barrier, however, rather than the extent of the move itself.

Whither duration?

For the meantime, our view on duration remains unchanged. Yields breaking above 1% gives you something exciting to write about, but it doesn’t necessarily signify anything. Global investors such as Japanese pension funds are still mandated to buy safe yielding assets like Treasuries; they may come in at 1.2% rather than 1%, but come they will, pushing yields back down.

This might sound inconsequential, but a little bit of price volatility does help when eking out returns in bond markets. A 30 basis point move (or 0.3%) might not sound like much, but that means a return of around +/-3% for a bond with ten years’ duration. When you consider the other roles that government bonds can play in a portfolio – defensive protection, acting as a funding source, etc – then those returns can be meaningful.

Credit and financial debt also appealing

More broadly, certain parts of credit markets continue to look attractive with spreads at these levels. As you would expect with the potential for more fiscal stimulus, credit is currently outperforming government bonds; indeed, investors have something of a double bonus with the market continuing to be backstopped by the Federal Reserve. Given the pending appointment of Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary, we can expect continued coordination between fiscal and monetary support.

We are considering adding to financial debt, particularly subordinated debt such as AT1s, but this is on the back of value in the market rather than any top-down macro view. This is a general point in how we manage our bond portfolios – we tend not to express macro views in individual names or sector funds, even if they might benefit from a top-down macro trend.

Not a fundamental reappraisal for duration

While the Blue Wave undoubtedly makes for a good headline, it’s not something that has taken fixed income investors by surprise. Duration still remains attractive and, in the absence of faster vaccine rollouts, it’s difficult to see that changing in the short term. The big question is whether we buy Treasuries at these levels or wait for a potential entry point 10 or 20 basis points higher. Ultimately, however, these remain timing questions on duration, rather than a fundamental reappraisal of its attraction.

A total return approach to fixed income can deliver steady growth while minimising portfolio volatility, even in the face of a changing economic conditions.

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