Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent (2024)

Active fixed income research team

Active fixed income at Vanguard

Note:Data as of March 31, 2024.

Vanguard perspectives series

For more expert insights, check out:

  • Market perspectives: Turn to Vanguard’s senior economists each month for projected returns and monthly economic highlights on inflation, growth, and expected Fed actions.
  • Portfolio perspectives: Address evolving issues that may affect your clients’ portfolios with monthly updates from our Portfolio Solutions team.
  • ETF perspectives:Quarterly insights from our ETF experts on market perspectives and thought leadership on ETF industry trends.

For more information about Vanguard funds or Vanguard ETFs, visit advisors.vanguard.com or call 800-997-2798 to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing Fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.

Bonds of companies based in emerging markets are subject to national and regional political and economic risks and to the risk of currency fluctuations. These risks are especially high in emerging markets.

High-yield bonds generally have medium- and lower-range credit-quality ratings and are therefore subject to a higher level of credit risk than bonds with higher credit-quality ratings.

Bond funds are subject to interest rate risk, which is the chance bond prices overall will decline because of rising interest rates, and credit risk, which is the chance a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of that bond to decline.

U.S. government backing of Treasury or agency securities applies only to the underlying securities and does not prevent share-price fluctuations. Unlike stocks and bonds, U.S. Treasury bills are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest.

Investments in bonds issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk.

Although the income from a municipal bond fund is exempt from federal tax, you may owe taxes on any capital gains realized through the fund’s trading or through your own redemption of shares. For some investors, a portion of the fund’s income may be subject to state and local taxes, as well as to the federal Alternative Minimum Tax.

Be aware that fluctuations in the financial markets and other factors may cause declines in the value of your account. There is no guarantee that any particular asset allocation or mix of funds will meet your investment objectives or provide you with a given level of income.

IMPORTANT: The projections and other information generated by the Vanguard Capital Markets Model (VCMM) regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results. VCMM results will vary with each use and over time.

The VCMM projections are based on a statistical analysis of historical data. Future returns may behave differently from the historical patterns captured in the VCMM. More important, the VCMM may be underestimating extreme negative scenarios unobserved in the historical period on which the model estimation is based.

The Vanguard Capital Markets Model® is a proprietary financial simulation tool developed and maintained by Vanguard’s primary investment research and advice teams. The model forecasts distributions of future returns for a wide array of broad asset classes. Those asset classes include U.S. and international equity markets, several maturities of the U.S. Treasury and corporate fixed income markets, international fixed income markets, U.S. money markets, commodities, and certain alternative investment strategies. The theoretical and empirical foundation for the Vanguard Capital Markets Model is that the returns of various asset classes reflect the compensation investors require for bearing different types of systematic risk (beta). At the core of the model are estimates of the dynamic statistical relationship between risk factors and asset returns, obtained from statistical analysis based on available monthly financial and economic data from as early as 1960. Using a system of estimated equations, the model then applies a Monte Carlo simulation method to project the estimated interrelationships among risk factors and asset classes as well as uncertainty and randomness over time. The model generates a large set of simulated outcomes for each asset class over several time horizons. Forecasts are obtained by computing measures of central tendency in these simulations. Results produced by the tool will vary with each use and over time.

CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.

Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent (2024)

FAQs

Active Fixed Income Perspectives Q2 2024: Data dependent? ›

If above-trend growth and persistent inflation continue, the Fed could have limited room to cut rates and may need to keep them on hold until later in the year. Policy, and investors, will be data dependent.

What is the economic forecast for Vanguard? ›

Recent signals point to an uptick in economic activity and a firming of inflation persistence, leading Vanguard to increase its outlook for 2024 GDP growth, from 0.3% to 0.7%, and its outlook for year-end core inflation, from 2.6% to 2.8%.

Which Vanguard bonds to invest in? ›

  • Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND)
  • Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX)
  • Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW)
  • Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF (VUSB)
  • Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWAHX)
  • Vanguard Core-Plus Bond Fund Investor Shares (VCPIX)
May 15, 2024

What are the advantages of short-term bond funds? ›

Bonds with shorter times to maturity are less sensitive to changes in interest rates than longer-term bonds, meaning investors won't suffer as much if rates head higher. Remember, interest rates and bond prices move in opposite directions, so as rates rise, bond prices fall and vice versa.

What is the Vanguard prediction for 2024? ›

We expect monetary policy to become increasingly restrictive in real terms in 2024 as inflation falls and offsetting forces wane. The economy will experience a mild downturn as a result. This is necessary to finish the job of returning inflation to target.

Is Vanguard financially stable? ›

About Vanguard

Vanguard's mission is to "take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success."6 It prides itself on its stability, transparency, low costs, and risk management.

What are the economic prospects for 2024? ›

GDP growth in the United States is projected to be 2.6% in 2024, before slowing to 1.8% in 2025 as the economy adapts to high borrowing costs and moderating domestic demand.

What bonds to buy for 2024? ›

Our picks at a glance
FundYieldNet expense ratio
American Century High Income Fund Investor Class (AHIVX)6.9%0.78%
Fidelity Capital & Income Fund (fa*gIX)6.1%0.93%
BrandywineGLOBAL – High Yield Fund Class A (BGHAX)6.8%0.92%
Principal High Yield Fund Class A (CPHYX)7.1%0.94%
5 more rows
May 20, 2024

Which Vanguard fund has the highest return? ›

Top performing investment funds owned by Vanguard worldwide 2024, by one-year return. As of May 2024, the Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund provided the highest one-year return rate. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index ranked second having a one-year return rate of 37.4 percent.

What Vanguard fund is best for retirees? ›

The 6 Best Vanguard Funds for Retirement
Vanguard FundExpense Ratio
Vanguard Core Bond Fund Investor Shares (ticker: VCORX)0.20%
Vanguard Growth and Income Fund Investor Shares (VQNPX)0.32%
Vanguard Explorer Fund Investor Shares (VEXPX)0.45%
Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Admiral Shares (VTMFX)0.09%
2 more rows
May 21, 2024

Should you buy bonds when interest rates are high? ›

Should I only buy bonds when interest rates are high? There are advantages to purchasing bonds after interest rates have risen. Along with generating a larger income stream, such bonds may be subject to less interest rate risk, as there may be a reduced chance of rates moving significantly higher from current levels.

Is now a good time to buy a bond fund? ›

Fed rate policy's impact on your investing

So what's the significance of tight Fed policy for your investments? Answer: Now may be the perfect time to invest in bonds. Yields are at levels you could only dream of 15 years ago, so you'd be locking in substantial, regular income.

Are T bills better than money market funds? ›

The biggest downside of investing in T-bills is that you're going to get a lower rate of return compared to other investments, such as certificates of deposit, money market funds, corporate bonds or stocks. If you're looking to make some serious gains in your portfolio, T-bills aren't going to cut it.

What is the Vanguard perspective for 2024? ›

Vanguard forecasts a year-end 2024 cash rate of 3.85% (down from the current 4.35%), and that the rate will eventually settle in the 3%–4% range, in line with our assessment of the neutral rate, the theoretical rate that would neither stimulate nor restrict an economy.

Where to invest in April 2024? ›

Top 10 most-popular investment funds in April 2024
RankFundOne-year return (%)
1Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity12%
2Fundsmith Equity9.1%
3L&G Global Technology Index44%
4Royal London Short Term Money Market5.34%
6 more rows
May 1, 2024

What is the investing outlook for 2024? ›

Our outlook for the new year is “2024”: 2% growth, 0 recessions, 2% inflation and 4% unemployment.

What is the expected rate of return for Vanguard? ›

Vanguard's outlook for financial markets
EquitiesReturn projectionMedian volatility
U.S. cash3.7%–4.7%1.4%
Global bonds ex-U.S. (hedged)4.2%–5.2%4.4%
Emerging markets sovereign bonds5.5%–6.5%10.0%
U.S. inflation2.0%–3.0%2.3%
16 more rows
May 23, 2024

What is the prediction for the Vanguard S&P 500? ›

Average Price Target

Based on 504 Wall Street analysts offering 12 month price targets to VOO holdings in the last 3 months. The average price target is $549.02 with a high forecast of $638.62 and a low forecast of $454.56. The average price target represents a 12.71% change from the last price of $487.12.

What is the financial market prediction for 2024? ›

Market Sectors To Watch In 2024

Analysts project 11.5% earnings growth and 5.5% revenue growth for S&P 500 companies in 2024. Fortunately, analysts see positive earnings and revenue growth for all eleven market sectors this year.

Is Vanguard still good to invest in? ›

Leader in low-cost funds: The company has a solid reputation for the well-below-average expense ratios on its index funds and exchange-traded funds. For long-term investors looking to pair a buy-and-hold strategy with the lowest-cost offerings, it's hard to beat the service and selection found with Vanguard.

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