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Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
  • Maturing CDs
    There weren’t many investment grade CLOs available at retail prior to 2020 when JAAA opened. HSRT came up in a web search. It gained +3.77% in 2020. I would never recommend one as a cash substitute. I confess to having misread the original post as at least opening the door for something “more active” (aggressive) then the safety of cash. If you want safety, short-term T-Bills are usually regarded as the safest investment, with insured bank / credit union accounts a close second. How a chaotic government shutdown (budget related) might upset that assumption is sometimes a topic of conversation.
    True, cash is what one desires for absolute safety, especially if it’s to fund near term commitments (housing, medical care, child support, etc.) As an investor I have sometimes “stretched” the definition of cash as a part of a diversified portfolio. ”Relatively safe” compared to most other investments I hold works for me. Willing to take a short term haircut in pursuit of longer term goals. Like OJ, I’m getting up there in years, so “long term” still exists but in a different way. My current risk perameters allow me to hold about 5% in JAAA alongside 5% in a money market fund. But that’s not for everyone.
    As @Junkster says, CLOs are not substitutes for cash (as defined in the strictest sense). I’d submit that neither is the River Park fund often mentioned. And he is correct that CLOs took a brief clobbering in March 2020 and for a few months beyond. Even my quite respectable ultra-short fund (TRBUX) at the time got knocked down. Truth is corporate bonds of every stripe got hit hard for a short period until the Fed stepped in and took the unprecedented step of backing investment grade debt. A black-swan like the Covid affair can strike at any time. They’re all different and usually unexpected. As bad as the hit was for CLOs for a month or two, equities got hit much harder. My p/m mining fund fell out of bed overnight. I’d go back and check how much it lost in a day or two, but it would be too painful.
  • Maturing CDs
    Regarding CLOs, what is conveniently not mentioned is like most everything else in Bondland they melted down too during the Covid meltdown. Investment grade CLOs from AAA to BBB had drawdowns from 10% to 30% while below investment grade drawdowns were 40% to 45%. As recently as 2022, while investment grade CLOs eked out a small gain (JAAA) of under 1% below investment grade lost money. The longest tenured bond fund primarily into CLOs ( an interval fund) lost money 4 years since its 2014 inception. In 2020 it had a multi week drawdown of 30%. As recently as 2022 this CLO fund lost 4.48%. 2023 and 2024 just happened to be “the right place right time” for CLOs. I hold slightly under 50% in CLOs but I am more than cognizant of the risks. A substitute for cash they certainly aren’t.
    What is cash? If one is thinking "checking account" (instant liquidity w/o loss), then even CDs don't qualify.
    On the other end of the spectrum there is cash as an investment - locking up cash in fixed rate investments for longer periods of time (typically years). You can still get at that cash for emergencies, but at a cost. However, the cost is much less than the risk of investing in the market, and the cost is often known in advance (e.g. CD early withdrawal penalty).
    Representing the first perspective is this piece by M*: Why Ultrashort Bond Funds Aren’t Cash Substitutes. "[I]n 2008 ... the average ultrashort bond fund dropped 8.4%. ... [In 2020] [w]hile most investment-grade bond categories posted positive returns during the market’s flight to quality, the average ultrashort bond fund lost about 1.8% in the first quarter.
    And the 2020 losses peak to trough (March 6 - March 23) were much greater.
    These relatively extreme (for their category) losses occur when the economy experiences severe jolts (GFC, pandemic). For "checking account" type cash, even these short lived, though sharp, jolts are unacceptable. For longer term "investment cash", the short term disruptions may be acceptable.
    A difference between ultrashort bond funds and IG CLOs is that the CLOs are more complicated investments. In theory, AAA tranches should hold up well in any environment other than one where everything gets hit. And they should recover better. There's some solace in JAAA doing just that in 2022. But that's only one stress test and there are many ways the economic system can get jolted.
    Junkster mentioned CLOs doing poorly in 2020. Was their behavior distinctive or just in line with (though more severe than) the rest of the IG market? That is, can we glean anything about their special risks from 2020? If not, then all we can say is that, yes, bonds of all ilk can get hit by system shocks and recover similarly.
    If that is unacceptable, only invest in guaranteed principal vehicles (Treasuries, CDs, credit union time deposits, bank accounts, etc.).
  • BONDS The week that was.... December 31, 2024..... Bond NAV's...Most positive. FINAL REPORT 2024
    ADD #1: SOME BOND funds had distributions this week, which should be reflected in this weeks numbers, as provided by their sources.
    ADD #2: This is directed towards possibilities into the new government period arriving January 20, and monetary/fiscal actions.
    --- Bond vigilantes are investors who sell government bonds or threaten to do so to force policy changes and discipline excessive government spending:
    --- Explanation
    Bond vigilantes use their market power to drive up borrowing costs for the government. This can happen when they protest against expansionary monetary or fiscal policy.
    --- Origin
    The term was coined by economist Ed Yardeni in the 1980s to describe traders who sold Treasury bonds to protest Federal Reserve policies that were considered too inflationary.
    --- Example
    In the "Great Bond Massacre" from 1993 to 1994, US 10-year yields increased from 5.2% to over 8% due to concerns about federal spending. The Clinton administration and Congress responded by reducing the deficit, and 10-year yields dropped to around 4% by 1998.
    NOTE:
    My intention, at this time; is to present the data for the selected bond sectors, as listed; through the end of the year (2024). This 'end date' will take us through the U.S. elections period, pending actions/legislation dependent upon the election results, pending Federal Reserve actions and market movers trying to 'guess' future directions of the U.S. economy. As important during this period, are any number of global circumstances that may take a path that is not expected; and/or 'new' circumstances. In the 'cooking pot' we currently have the big ingredients of the middle east and also, how much damage Ukraine may inflict upon Russia and the response.
    FIRST: NOTHING TO ADD/ALTER regarding 'Never-Never Land'. The pre-DC world shift of January, 2025 remains 'interesting' at this time! We're in a 'Never-Never Land' (events you never imagined) of potential large impacts upon various economic functions emanating from a central government in the coming months and years. What comes next for the investing world of bonds is not yet known or fully understood, except for those have a better guessing system than I. I can only watch and listen a little bit and let the numbers try to bring forth meaningful directions.
    W/E December 27 , 2024. Bond NAV's Mixed/Down for most + distributions
    --- 'Course, all the bond sectors in the list find their reasons for price movements, and we find most bond sectors HAD ANOTHER 'SMALLER' HEAD SLAP for this week's pricing. The majority of bond sectors were down most days of the week. Short duration were the better performing for the week, with longer duration continuing to get 'thumped'. So, depending on where you're 'hanging' your bond market monies, the pricing this week, was mostly DOWN. The MINT etf, to the best of my recall, has maintained a positive price for the year, each and every week; and this remains for this week.
    A few numbers for your viewing pleasure.

    NEXT:
    *** UST yields chart, 6 month - 30 year. This chart is active and will display a 6 month time frame going forward to a future date. Place/hover the mouse pointer anywhere on a line to display the date and yield for that date. The percent to the right side is the percentage change in the yield from the chart beginning date for a particular item. You may also 'right click' on the 126 days at the chart bottom to change a 'time frame' from a drop down menu. Hopefully, the line graph also lets you view the 'yield curve' in a different fashion, for the longer duration issues, at this time. Save the page to your own device for future reference. NOTE: take a peek at the right side of this graph to find the yield swings of the past week, and for the current yields for the last business day.
    For the WEEK/YTD, NAV price changes, December 23 - December 27, 2024
    ***** This week (Friday), FZDXX, MM yield continues to move with Fed funds/repo/SOFR rates; and ended the week at 4.24% yield (-.13 basis points for the week). Fidelity's MM's continue to maintain decent yields, as is presumed with other vendors similar MM's. SO, one is still obtaining a decent MM yield. MOST MM's found a negative .10 - .13 basis change in yield for the week.
    --- AGG = -.33% / +1.04% (I-Shares Core bond), a benchmark, (AAA-BBB holdings)
    --- MINT = +.08% / +5.85% (PIMCO Enhanced short maturity, AAA-BBB rated)
    --- SHY = +.04% / +3.70 % (UST 1-3 yr bills)
    --- IEI = -.21% / +1.42% (UST 3-7 yr notes/bonds)
    --- IEF = -.57% / -1.03% (UST 7-10 yr bonds)
    --- TIP = -.16% / +1.48% (UST Tips, 3-10 yrs duration, some 20+ yr duration)
    --- VTIP = +.06% / +4.56% (Vanguard Short-Term Infl-Prot Secs ETF)
    --- STPZ = -.02% / +4.05% (UST, short duration TIPs bonds, PIMCO)
    --- LTPZ = -.67% / -4.95% (UST, long duration TIPs bonds, PIMCO)
    --- TLT = -1.37% / -8.30% (I Shares 20+ Yr UST Bond
    --- EDV = -2.02% / -13.32% (UST Vanguard extended duration bonds)
    --- ZROZ = -2.33% / -16.45% (UST., AAA, long duration zero coupon bonds, PIMCO
    --- TBT = +2.92% / +28.35% (ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury (about 23 holdings)
    --- TMF = -4.27% / -36.35% (Direxion Daily 20+ Yr Trsy Bull 3X ETF (about a 2x version of EDV etf)
    *** Additional important bond sectors, for reference:
    --- BAGIX = -.40% / +1.54% Baird Aggregate Bond Fund (active managed, plain vanilla, high quality bond fund)
    --- USFR = +.08% / +5.40% (WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury)
    --- LQD = -.31% / +.68% (I Shares IG, corp. bonds)
    --- MBB = -.24% / +1.05% (I-Shares Mortgage Backed Bonds)
    --- BKLN = +.24% / +8.10% (Invesco Senior Loan, Corp. rated BB & lower)
    --- HYG = -.04% / +7.83 % (I Shares High Yield bonds, proxy ETF)
    --- HYD = +.83%/+4.36% (VanEck HY Muni)
    --- MUB = -.04% /+.89% (I Shares, National Muni Bond)
    --- EMB = -.29%/+5.55% (I Shares, USD, Emerging Markets Bond)
    --- CWB = -.30% / +11.25% (SPDR Bloomberg Convertible Securities)
    --- PFF = -1.33% / +6.52% (I Shares, Preferred & Income Securities)
    --- FZDXX = 4.24% yield (7 day), Fidelity Premium MM fund
    *** FZDXX yield was .11%, April,2022. (For reference to current date)
    Comments and corrections, please.
    Remain curious,
    Catch
  • Maturing CDs
    BaluBalu: "What is going on? Over the years, I have seen some meaningful posts from you and I am surprised you are seriously considering a CU term deposit of any meaningful duration with the level of superficial information you shared as a reply to my post."
    BaluBalu, when I got this post from you, in response to trying to give you some additional information about Credit Union Share Certificates, I was caught off guard, I felt attacked for just trying to be helpful to you. Credit Unions have been around for a very long time, and almost every major city has several of them. They are covered in several of the major Deposit Rating Services. To question my decision of "considering a CU term deposit of any meaningful duration" in such a well-known, long established, investment institution, sounded very strongly like you had fear and trust issues with them. When I read YBBs short little post to you about Credit Unions, there was nothing of significance in it that I had not previously included in my post to you about Credit Unions.
    At any rate, I tried to be helpful and I am sorry it was not received by you in that way.
  • Maturing CDs
    Our CD/Treasury ladder is only out to three years, but I'm 85 and don't want to go too far out. Our Schwab SUTXX MMKT is currently at 4.35% and falling, the CD/Treasury ladder is at 4.81%. I'm replacing CDs and Treasurys as they mature, which will gradually move out the ladder.
    At the moment the allocation is CD/Treasury ladder 43% and MMKT 57%. The main difference that I consider between CD/Treasury ladder and MMKT allocations is the possible need for "instant cash" due to future major medical issues. If it weren't for that I'd put almost everything into the CD/Treasury ladder. When we were younger we never kept this kind of money in either CDs or MMKTs.
    Old_Joe, I have a very similar position on my Fixed Income positions. I have kept my CD Ladder at no more than 2 years, as I want my CD ladder to have ongoing CDs maturing pretty frequently, and have some liquidity issues better addressed with frequently maturing, short term CDs. I also have a wife who has very strong wish to have shorter term CDs in case she needs it "for a facelift"! Her way of saying that she may want a new car, a facelift, or surgery/treatment for one of the many "health related" issues we are monitoring closely! We also are dealing with a couple of Adult children and their families, who are continually needing financial support for health issues, losing jobs, needing money for an array of creative and surprising needs that crop up. In short, the shorter term CD ladder works fine for my situation, but may not be what others need, with their personal and financial situation.
  • Maturing CDs
    Our CD/Treasury ladder is only out to three years, but I'm 85 and don't want to go too far out. Our Schwab SUTXX MMKT is currently at 4.35% and falling, the CD/Treasury ladder is at 4.81%. I'm replacing CDs and Treasurys as they mature, which will gradually move out the ladder.
    At the moment the allocation is CD/Treasury ladder 43% and MMKT 57%. The main difference that I consider between CD/Treasury ladder and MMKT allocations is the possible need for "instant cash" due to future major medical issues. If it weren't for that I'd put almost everything into the CD/Treasury ladder. When we were younger we never kept this kind of money in either CDs or MMKTs.
  • Maturing CDs
    AI Overview:
    Kelly Community Federal Credit Union (KCFCU) in Tyler, Texas has been described as one of the most financially sound credit unions in the United States. KCFCU offers monthly and annual financial reports that include financial performance summaries, goals, commitments, and questions from members.
    Credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), which is similar to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that insures banks. Most credit unions and banks are insured for up to $250,000 per customer.
    KCFCU was founded in 1963 by employees from the Kelly-Springfield Tire Plant to provide a safe place for workers to save and borrow money. The credit union's mission is to treat members like family and prioritize relationships over transactions.

    =====================================
    dt, KCFCU appears to be a worthy place to invest your money.
    That isn't the issue I have been beating to death on these threads which is duration.
    Let me try a different angle:
    What position do you think you are going to be in with interest bearing investment options in the 6-12 months after the investment you buy now matures?
    Given the current rates and current trend, do you think you are going to be able to find an interest bearing investment of any duration paying 4+% in 6-12 months?
    =======================================
    Aside FWIW: You don't seem to care too much for my input, but buddy, I've been playing the CD ladder game for 12-13 years and I've not lost yet. I'm sitting a 5-yr, CP CD ladder paying a wee bit over 5% that was there for taking a year or so ago. Today, a 5-yr, 4+% CP CD ladder is there for the taking, for anyone who can step away from the tree and see the forest.
  • Maturing CDs
    "I don't have your fears or trust issues."
    You are making big, big assumptions about my fears and trusts. I have no reason to be fearful or have trust issues about something I do not have any knowledge about.
    In this thread posters shared how a AAA rated insurance company can take years to get resolved, how FDIC banks are resolved and the duration depositors have to wait to access their funds and the relevance of the legacy deposit interest rate, how AAA CLOs are not like Treasury issues, @stillers explained why he sticks with bank CDs, and when and to whom insurance annuity products, CLOs, and other fixed income products may be appropriate. I applaud all these posters for taking the time to explain their POV, even though they are not trying to gain anything and sometimes in the face of (overt and implied) criticism about relevance.
    Many posters in this thread have suggested to you choices but you discarded all of them (your have a right to do so) and in turn you mentioned about CU term deposits as a replacement for FDIC bank deposits. I have no reason to learn about CUs because I have plenty of other options, as I have stated in earlier posts, but I thought it would be good to the readers / lurkers to learn about why you thought it is a good idea to go to CUs (for a few more basis points relative to banks) in lieu of the other suggestions made in this thread or even FDIC bank deposits. Hence, my ask of the posters "Please educate us with examples of how depositors of CUs were protected (or not protected) when CUs got into trouble." If you do not know the answer to this, you do not have to reply but let someone who knows or wants to explore the ask reply. The ask is very much relevant for CU term deposits - may be not for you personally.
    FYI - I have edited my post you quoted.
    YBB, thanks.
  • Maturing CDs
    @dtconroe,
    What is going on? Over the years, I have seen some meaningful posts from you and I am surprised you are seriously considering a CU term deposit of any meaningful duration with the level of superficial information you shared as a reply to my post. (I plan to delete this para after you read.)
    I shall wait for @msf or YBB to reply to my post. I know it is an imposition on them because neither of them is seeking to invest in CU deposits but their reply would be a public service (as was my post).
    Sorry you are disappointed with the information I sent. I am not going to spend extensive time educating posters about various investment options, but Credit Unions have been around for many many years. I have had Credit Union accounts at numerous credit unions, and I actually set up a credit union account for a company I worked for back in the 1990s, as a fringe benefit option for employees at my place of employment. Credit Unions act very much the same way as Banks, but instead of FDIC Deposit Insurance, they have a National Credit Union Deposit insurance. The local Credit Union I am looking at is the Kelley Federal Credit Union (if you care to look at it), but there are a huge number of credit unions all over the US. If you don't trust credit unions, or for any other reason are not comfortable with credit unions, then by all means stay away from them. Since I consider them almost identical to banks, I don't have your fears or trust issues.
  • Maturing CDs
    Most of us know how FDIC insurance works and troubled banks are resolved but most of us have no understanding of how deposit insurance works at credit union level. Please educate us with examples of how depositors of CUs were protected (or not protected) when CUs got into trouble.
    See excerpt below from a Google Search on Credit Union "Share Certificates";
    A credit union share certificate is a type of savings account that offers a fixed interest rate for a set period of time:
    How it works
    You deposit money into a share certificate for a set term, usually between 3 months and 5 years. In exchange, you earn a higher interest rate, called a dividend, than a regular savings account. The longer the term, the higher the dividend.
    Benefits
    Share certificates are a good option if you want to earn interest on money you plan to use in the future. They can be a safer investment than stocks or mutual funds.
    Risks
    You'll incur penalties if you withdraw money before the term ends.
    Insurance
    Share certificates are federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) for up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category, per institution. This is similar to the coverage offered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for banks.
    Comparison to certificates of deposit (CDs)
    Share certificates are similar to CDs, but are offered by credit unions instead of banks. The main difference is the name.
  • Maturing CDs
    Thanks msf! I have a CD in my IRA account maturing in a few days. I am tempted to reinvest it in 2 year callable CD, treating it like a 6 month noncallable CD. If it is called, I think I will still be able to get a 4% replacement callable CD, and if it is not called then I am fine with that callable rate for the length of the CD.
    Regarding MMs, I am expecting all categories of MMs to fall below 4% in 2025--I will continue holding MMs but may reduce the amount I will keep in them.

    @dtconroe. a very prudent decision for someone not into risk/drawdown and who is not a trader. Regarding CLOs, what is conveniently not mentioned is like most everything else in Bondland they melted down too during the Covid meltdown. Investment grade CLOs from AAA to BBB had drawdowns from 10% to 30% while below investment grade drawdowns were 40% to 45%. As recently as 2022, while investment grade CLOs eked out a small gain (JAAA) of under 1% below investment grade lost money. The longest tenured bond fund primarily into CLOs ( an interval fund) lost money 4 years since its 2014 inception. In 2020 had a multi week drawdown of 30%. 2023 and 2024 just happened to be “the right place right time” for CLOs. I hold slightly under 50% in CLOs but I am more than cognizant of the risks. A substitute for cash they certainly aren’t.

    Thanks for your comment Junkster. These threads invite a wide array of responses, from posters with a wide array of investing preferences, and a wide array of personal financial circumstances that are the background to their financial decision making. I try to sort through the posted information, to see how much applicability it has to my personal investing criteria. This thread has led to a large variety of posters and posted information. I don't have any interest in CLOs, and I "currently" don't have any interest returning to the bond oef world of trading and momentum based decision making. I don't care for annuities and unique risks/rewards. CDs have been paying a very nice 5+% return for the last year, but that seems to be on the decline. I have never used callable CDs, but they do offer a better interest rate than noncallable CDs, for about 6 months and possibly longer. I am inclined to invest some maturing CD cash into a local Credit Union Share Certificate that pays about a half percent more than I can get at Schwab or my local bank. Different strokes for different folks, and their varied financial strategies and circumstances.
  • Maturing CDs
    Thanks msf! I have a CD in my IRA account maturing in a few days. I am tempted to reinvest it in 2 year callable CD, treating it like a 6 month noncallable CD. If it is called, I think I will still be able to get a 4% replacement callable CD, and if it is not called then I am fine with that callable rate for the length of the CD.
    Regarding MMs, I am expecting all categories of MMs to fall below 4% in 2025--I will continue holding MMs but may reduce the amount I will keep in them.
    @dtconroe. a very prudent decision for someone not into risk/drawdown and who is not a trader. Regarding CLOs, what is conveniently not mentioned is like most everything else in Bondland they melted down too during the Covid meltdown. Investment grade CLOs from AAA to BBB had drawdowns from 10% to 30% while below investment grade drawdowns were 40% to 45%. As recently as 2022, while investment grade CLOs eked out a small gain (JAAA) of under 1% below investment grade lost money. The longest tenured bond fund primarily into CLOs ( an interval fund) lost money 4 years since its 2014 inception. In 2020 it had a multi week drawdown of 30%. As recently as 2022 this CLO fund lost 4.48%. 2023 and 2024 just happened to be “the right place right time” for CLOs. I hold slightly under 50% in CLOs but I am more than cognizant of the risks. A substitute for cash they certainly aren’t.
  • Maturing CDs
    All true, which is why one is usually better off sticking with vanilla annuities. However, page count is a somewhat misleading metric.
    Fixed annuity contracts are self-contained. Unlike mutual fund documentation, they are not broken into multiple parts: summary prospectus (outline), statutory prospectus (broad description of operation), and statement of additional information (legalize and structural info).
    Add all those mutual fund pages together, and you might be at "just" 35 pages (Bruce fund BRUFX statutory prospectus + SAI), at 135 pages (VFIAX - 10 p. summary, 57 p. statutory, 78 p. SAI), or even find a humongous 575 pages (PIMIX - 5 p. summary, 142 p. statutory, 428 p. SAI).
    Read a good bitcoin ETF prospectus lately? Those seem to run around 150 pages, with risk factors alone taking up scores of pages.
    I pulled out an old SPDA contract I had years ago. Plain vanilla. Six pages on how the annuity could be annuitized plus a two page summary up front covering how the amount invested would grow (fixed rate) year by year and how much it would be worth annually including penalty if I closed it early. That's all.
    Many if not most annuity contracts are complicated. But they don't have to be if all you're looking for is a fixed rate investment comparable to a CD. Things get at least a little more complicated if you're looking for an income stream (see, e.g. Social Security). And variable annuities? Now you're going up to potentially scores of pages for each fund offered inside the VA.
  • 30 year treasury
    For more than a year now, I took the other side, which has been one of the best risk/reward performance in bond land. Investing in lower-rated CLOs.
    CLOZ made over 20% in 1.5 years, while TLT lost over 9%.
    https://schrts.co/PcchSZaD
    Currently, CLOZ pays about 8% per year based on its last distribution * 12 months + duration is short (I can't find it).
    TLT pays about 4.8% with duration = 16.5
    Why would I take a high risk/volatility trade based on unknown rates?
    https://seekingalpha.com/article/4627176-cloz-bbb-bb-clo-etf-strong-10-7-percent-sec-yield-low-interest-rate-risk
    The above isn't a recommendation, just an observation. Never in life have I bought directly a Treasury or a very high-rated bond fund. Too much risk/volatility per unknown rates/duration/correlation.
  • 30 year treasury
    ”A 10 year bond with 5% coupon has a duration under seven years.” - Wow. You learn something every day here.
    BTW - I inputted “intermediate” at M* and pulled up the first fund it found. So, SNIDX wasn’t meant to be a recommendation and it may not be representative of other intermediate term bond funds.
  • 30 year treasury
    Even intermediate duration bond funds (like SNIDX) normally keep average portfolio duration at 10 years or less.
    It's easy to mix up duration and maturity. A 10 year bond with 5% coupon has a duration under seven years.
    SNIDX "seeks to maintain an effective duration of three to seven years under normal market conditions." Summary Prospectus
    The difference in yields between 10 year and 30 year bonds is usually not that large. So buying 30 year bonds is tantamount to placing a bet on interest rate movements. As Yogi noted, the impact of any rate change is magnified with the 30 year bond.
    Currently (12/24/2024) the 30 year is yielding just 17 basis points more than the 10 year. Further, a bond maturing in 20 years is paying even more than the 30 year bond. So buying the lower yielding 30 year is not to get a higher yield but solely to get more exposure to interest rate changes.
    Daily Treasury Par Yield Curve Rates - December 2024
  • 30 year treasury
    A 30-yr zero will have a duration of 30 years, 30-yr T-Bonds less due to coupon payments.
    If like to lock in some at current yield (4.76%) without reinvestment risk, look at 30-yr Treasury Zero-Coupon. It may cost about $25 for $100 par in 30 yrs.
  • 30 year treasury
    I'm aware I would need to keep a focused eye in order to avoid a buzz cut!
    For sure. You’d be safer I think laying a wager at DraftKings on something. And wouldn’t need to wait 30 years to find out if you were right or wrong. However, if the current yield looks good to you and you are willing to wait 30 years you will earn the current rate of interest and not lose a penny of principal.
    Maybe buy a magic genie first and ask it what inflation will average between now and 2055? Then at least you’d know if the current payout is worth it. As Yogi suggested, at 30 years duration you’d be whipsawed up and down as rates fluctuated. Even intermediate duration bond funds (like SNIDX) normally keep average portfolio duration at 10 years or less.
    I’d agree with Derf that a 30 year bond would make a great trading vehicle for someone trying to game the bond market. But they better know what they’re doing.
  • tax-free u.s. bond market and GOP control for 2-4 years

    would be curious to hear if anyone thinks trump\MAGA\GOP can do any specific short-mid term damage to this sector.
    am aware that broad tax cuts to individuals and corporations make it relatively unappealing.
    could it be somewhat of a haven from chaos ?
    points :
    1. am unaware of any specific trump family member or crony looking to grift in this area.
    2. most of the tax-free market are state+local gov groups with control of their own financing structure, not much reliant on fed trickle-down budgeting other than when initiating a project based on matching funds.
    3. re-writing tax codes to make these groups taxable and compete with corporate bonds seems unlikely and not of interest to any faction.
  • The Most Hated Stocks in the World
    The article started with...."In 20 years of managing money I have never witnessed more dismal sentiment for international stocks, value stocks and really valuations in general."
    So the question remains do you continue to ride large caps (mainly Tech) indefinitely, or do you see a rotation back to other sectors. Large cap Tech ("Magnificent Seven") as market leaders - current trend or new normal?
    Who is still buying value?