Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

U.S. fund investors signal concern on credit

Published 11/23/2018, 07:58 PM
Updated 11/23/2018, 08:00 PM
© Reuters.  U.S. fund investors signal concern on credit

© Reuters. U.S. fund investors signal concern on credit

By Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. fund investors renewed their concerns about credit quality in corporate debt markets during the latest week, hitting leveraged loan and high-yield debt funds with multibillion-dollar withdrawals, Lipper data showed on Friday.

So-called "loan participation funds," made up of funds that buy loans to highly indebted companies that typically must pay investors more as interest rates rise, posted $1.7 billion in withdrawals during the week ended Nov. 21. That was the most cash pulled from those funds since December 2015, the research service's data showed.

High-yield "junk" bond funds based in the United States recorded $2.2 billion in withdrawals, the most in four weeks. Those funds include bonds from issuers with lower credit ratings.

Sentiment around corporate credit has turned more negative in recent weeks on concerns that economic and profit growth is starting to peak as rising interest rates from the Federal Reserve put more pressure on debtors.

The market includes a high number of issuers in the energy industry, which adds to the pressure on high-yield debt. Benchmark international Brent crude oil prices (LCOc1) are about $59 a barrel, down more than 30 percent from highs above $86 just last month.

The $14 billion iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (P:HYG), one widely traded junk bond fund, has nearly 15 percent of its holdings in the energy sector.

In further signs of the risk-aversion, investors pulled $1.4 billion from technology sector stock funds in the week, the most since February 2015. Tech funds have been the stars in the U.S. equity market's near-10-year run but have been bludgeoned by the change in sentiment and dour headlines, including Apple Inc's (O:AAPL) earlier this month putting out a lower-than-expected sales forecast for the Christmas quarter that jolted parts suppliers across the world.

Short-term U.S. Treasury funds gathered $2.6 billion, the most since January 2016. The funds have low credit risk because the issuer is the government and less sensitivity to rates because they repay over a shorter time frame, allowing investors to reinvest the proceeds at higher rates.

One area in funds does reflect an appetite for greater risk-taking among investors. U.S.-based funds invested in emerging market equities, such as those in China, pulled in $1.4 billion during the week, the most cash since March. Helping those stocks is a slowdown in gains for the U.S. dollar, whose rise this year put pressure on countries with greenback-denominated debts.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.