1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: This is Master's in Business with Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg Radio. 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: This week on the podcast, I have an extra special guest. 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: His name is Mike Swell. He's the head of fixed 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:19,639 Speaker 1: income portfolio management at g SAM. That's Goldman Sachs Asset 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: Management Group. They run over seven hundred billion dollars just 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: on fixed income side. And man, let me tell you, 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: this is a master class in fixed income investing. If 8 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: you are interested in where to get yield, how to 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: pursue it, what the risks are involved, where there are 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,919 Speaker 1: the best opportunities for fixed income investing, where you're not 11 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: getting paid to take risk. Uh. I don't even know 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: what else to say. One of the most knowledgeable people 13 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: I've ever heard in the fixed income space. I would 14 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: imagine you probably have to know a thing or two 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: if you're gonna run fixed income for Goldman SAX. Uh. 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: Absolutely must listen a fascinating, fascinating conversation. I learned a 17 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: ton of stuff, and I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable in 18 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: the space. I think that I'm going to listen to 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: this episode repeatedly. Uh, just because it was so dense 20 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: and so filled with really fascinating information. He's had a 21 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: really intriguing career UM and has really put up some 22 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: incredible UM insight and and lots of great numbers over 23 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 1: the time. Uh G Sam runs a variety of different 24 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: mutual funds. There are five or so that uh Swell 25 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: is either in charge of supervising, or a manager of, 26 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: or a co manager of. So this isn't just abstract theory. 27 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: He really is where the rubber meets the road. So, 28 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: with no further ado, my conversation with Mike Swell, the 29 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: head of fixed income portfolio management for Goldman Sects they 30 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: sees Masters in Business with very Rid Holts on Bloomberg Radio. 31 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: My extra special guest this week is Mike Swell. He 32 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: is the head of Global fixed income portfolio Management at 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: Goldman Sachs, where he oversees about seven hundred billion dollars 34 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: in assets. He's also a managing director at Goldman Sachs 35 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: Asset Management. Michael Swell, Welcome to Bloomberg Berry. I want 36 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: to thank you and thank Bloomberg for having me today. 37 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: So let's talk a little bit about the early days. 38 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: You graduated the London School of Economics in do you 39 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: remember what the yield was on the ten year back then, Uh, 40 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: it was meaningfully higher than it is today. I I, well, 41 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,679 Speaker 1: it's it's it's roughly zero today, so it's got to 42 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: be a lot higher. I would say it was probably 43 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: in the very high single digits, pushing up on ten percent. 44 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: I'll go eat to nine percent. So so that was 45 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: still fairly early and what turned out to be a 46 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: very very long bull market. What were those days like, 47 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: did anyone have any idea about the legs that the 48 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: bond bull market would have? Well, I was still in 49 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: college at the time, and so I actually UM was 50 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: at LC for a year, and then I was at 51 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: Brandeis University got my bachelor's there. And while I was 52 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: in London, I kind of got exposed to global markets 53 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: to fixed income. I saw a lot of people applying 54 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: for internships to Wall Street and I said, it sounds 55 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: pretty good, it sounds competitive, UM and so I then 56 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: kind of applied to a program to get a master's 57 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: International finance at Brandeis UM. So I had yet to 58 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: know exactly what the bond market was until I started 59 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: my career at Lehman Brothers in UM and Uh, it 60 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: was a different world. I mean in terms of liquidity 61 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: in terms of transparency. Back then, you had to wait 62 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: until the next day to find out what happened with 63 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: bond prices. Uh. You had this thing called tear sheets, 64 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: pink sheets, and that was the way you learned about 65 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: what was going on with companies and what was going 66 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: on in terms of pricing in markets. So a very 67 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: very different world. The bond market wasn't the kind of 68 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: primary market of liquidity like it is today and something 69 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: that we talked about for twenty four hours a day. 70 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: Back then, probably if you had if you had a 71 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: finance show like Bloomberg, you probably would have spent ten 72 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes on bonds and the rest was all on equities. 73 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: What about execution? What was it like trying to move 74 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: any sort of paper around back then versus today? Uh, 75 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: back then it was obviously it was a phone only market, 76 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: so not an electronic market. Now obviously you press a 77 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: button and you can move billions of dollars of risk, 78 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: and you can move billion dollars, billions of dollars of 79 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: risk in multiple different markets with a touch of a button, 80 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: whether it's the treasury market, the mortgage market, the corporate 81 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: credit market, derivative market. But back then it was a 82 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: phone to phone negotiation and very often while there were 83 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: some Wall Street players in between, typically what they would 84 00:04:58,440 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: do is they would try to find a buyer on 85 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: the other side. And so what now takes seconds back 86 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: then could have taken days to move to move risk 87 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: um just a very very different world, bigger bit offer spreads, 88 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: and so you didn't see as active trading in the 89 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: fixed income markets as you see today. But the other 90 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 1: side of that is that there was a lot more 91 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: a lot more yield, and with less transparency, there was 92 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: a little more inefficiency, and if you were a very 93 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: active player, you know, the potential for generating earnings and 94 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: margins by trading bonds was actually pretty pretty attractive given 95 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: how why bit offers spreads were back then. So so, 96 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: given how much more efficients the bond market has become, 97 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: we continue to see active bond managers outperformed passive indexes. 98 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: That's the opposite of what we see on the equity side, 99 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: where efficiencies have given the passive index er um a 100 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 1: huge advantage. Why do active bond managers, uh, why are 101 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: they still capable of beating the passive indexes when their 102 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: um equity cohorts can There are a number of different reasons. 103 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: There is a lack of homogeneity in the bond market. 104 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: And so if you think about something as clear as 105 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: the treasury market, there's on the run treasuries, there's off 106 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: the run treasuries, there's fourteen year treasuries, there's thirty year treasuries. 107 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: They trade at very very different levels. UH. You also 108 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: have UM a index that is very very UM transparent 109 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: in terms of what is in the index, and there's 110 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: a lot of ability to be able to purchase securities 111 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: that are outside of your index, very different than what's 112 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: in the equity market. Typically, what's in the equity market 113 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: and what's in your index is what is your investable universe. 114 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: Within the bond market, there are many many different sectors 115 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 1: that shit outside of the outside of the universe. The 116 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: other thing is that given that the indices are very transparent, 117 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 1: there's a market segmentation issue that goes on in bonds 118 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: where UM you have some investors that buy the index, 119 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: they have to buy the Barkley's agg they have to 120 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: buy the long corporate index because they're a pension fund. 121 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: Very very UM significant market segmentation issues that creates inefficiencies. 122 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: So when there's enormous amount of demand for one type 123 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: of asset. Um you can actually buy something that is meaningfully, 124 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: meaningfully cheaper. So if everybody has to, if everyone has 125 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: a limitation that they can only buy five year credit 126 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: or shorter, well, if you buy six year corporate credit 127 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: in a year, it becomes five year corporate credit. Very 128 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: often that six year bond will trade very cheap to 129 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 1: the five year because there are a lot of investors 130 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: they can't buy it. Same thing in the if you 131 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: think about the credit ratings UM, most investors, particularly in 132 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: the US, can only buy investment grade corporate credit, and 133 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: that's what the index. The index is typically an investment 134 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: grade credit index, but um when there are opportunities in 135 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: the double B sector, in the high field sector, you 136 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: have a lot of investors that are limit it in 137 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: terms of their guidelines and limited in terms of the 138 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 1: amount of capital they could deploy to lower and lower 139 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: credit related assets, and so as a result, not as 140 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: many buyers. So you as an active manager when you 141 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: see a disparity when there's a three B bond out 142 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: there that might yield hundred fifty basis points over treasuries, 143 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: but a to B bond market, so it's a double 144 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: B bond that might yield three or four hunder basis 145 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: points over well, the difference in leverage between a double 146 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 1: B company a triple B company is pretty limited, so 147 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: active managers can really take advantage of that. Another area 148 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: is UM. The agency mortgage market is a very big 149 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: part of UM, the global indices, the US, the Bloomberg 150 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: Index in the US UM and it's a very heterogeneous market. Uh. 151 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: There are different coupons and different types of securities in 152 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: that market, so there's a great ability that if you 153 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: have expertise in terms of understanding pre payment risk, which 154 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: is the biggest risk that occurs in agency mortgages, you 155 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: can buy securities that can perform a lot better than 156 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: the indusseries. So there are many different reasons why in 157 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: fixed income ACTA managers have consistently outperformed, and I think 158 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: that also is an important point when you think about 159 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: UM E t f s as well. While ets have 160 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: grown very, very significantly in the in in in the 161 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 1: equity market, it's been a little bit slower in the 162 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: fixed income market. And the reasons that we're talking about 163 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: right now in that active managers and more consistently beat 164 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: indices as a reason why it's been slower in fix income. 165 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: Quite quite interesting. Let's let's stick a little bit um 166 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 1: with your career. For a bit um. You leave Lehman 167 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: Brothers early nineties, long before they get into trouble and 168 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: eventually ends up at Um Freeman, Billings Ramsey's. Is that right? Yeah, 169 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: It's been a lot of years that Freddie mac um 170 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: in Washington, d C in in the mortgage market, securitizing mortgages, 171 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: trading mortgage securities, working very closely with originators, and then 172 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: transferred that risk to a firm that was getting involved 173 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: in the in the re market and particularly in the 174 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 1: in the sub prime mortgage market. So those were kind 175 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: of where the bulk of my my career was prior 176 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: to getting to Goldman Sacks, right, And you joined Goldman 177 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: in oh seven to run the Structured Products um group, 178 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: And if memory serves correctly, mortgages had already peaked and 179 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: we're rolling over by oh seven. Your charge was to 180 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: look across the spectrum at opportunistically at fixed income products 181 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: and alternative portfolios. Is it exaggerating to say it was 182 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: fishing the barrel? Or had it not quite gotten that 183 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: attractive yet? Actually, my timing was the opposite of fish 184 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: in the barrel. So the mortgage market didn't start rolling 185 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 1: over until the end of O seven and mainly in 186 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight. And so my my my mandate 187 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: when I got to Goldman was to actually look at 188 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: the structured product market from an issue or standpoint. So 189 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: there was enormous amount of CDO and cello issuance UM. 190 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: The goal was to look at those markets to become 191 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: a manager. Uh. And when when I got there and 192 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: did a lot of the work, we said, you know what, 193 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: this is not actually a good investment for investors. They're 194 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,079 Speaker 1: levering up an asset that has has you know, appreciated 195 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: massively and there's no return here for investors, and there's risk. 196 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:23,800 Speaker 1: And so basically UM in OH seven, the CDO CLO 197 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: market also at the same time kind of shut down, 198 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: and I was left with kind of nothing to do, 199 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:30,719 Speaker 1: and so I had to reinvent myself. And and one 200 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: of the things that's very important for people in this 201 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 1: in this industry and in any industry is always be 202 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: flexible to reinvent yourself. And so the crisis occurred. CDO 203 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: market CLO markets shut down, but the assets became very 204 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: distressed and there was a great opportunity to start investing 205 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: in those areas. So I went from trying to be 206 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 1: an issuer in that market to being a distress investor. 207 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about the demand for bonds 208 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: these days. You recently said you see quote enormous demands 209 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:05,240 Speaker 1: US fixed income. Explain So people would think that with 210 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: rates pushing on zero, with um kind of recovery in 211 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: the future and two dozen one, two dozen two, that 212 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: bonds would be completely out of vogue. And you know 213 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: a lot of concern around eventual inflation in the US 214 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: and rising rates. I would say to that, forget about 215 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: it for a number of years. There is an enormous 216 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: amount of demand for yield. There are there's enormous amount 217 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: of savings that exist. There's an enormous amount of market 218 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: segmentation that exists on a global basis with investors, where investors, 219 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: a lot of investors do not have the option to 220 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,199 Speaker 1: go into alternatives or to go into equities. They are 221 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: fixed income investors. Obviously, retirees conservative can take the volatility 222 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 1: of own the equities they need to. They need to 223 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: generate income to live. You have insurance companies that predominantly 224 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: invest in in in fixed income, they write policies and 225 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: they buy fix income assets. On the the other side of that, 226 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: there's also a regulatory reason why. Um you find that 227 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: insurance companies by fixed income assets, same thing with commercial banks, 228 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: commercial banks by fixed income um so I I think 229 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: that there's going to be an enormous amount of demand 230 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: for yield, and you have to some degree look outside 231 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:25,959 Speaker 1: the United States when you think about investing. You can't 232 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: just rely upon what you may think investors might do 233 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 1: in your country. We have very very global fungible markets now, 234 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: and so the fact that rates are negative in Europe, 235 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: rates are negative in Japan, that creates an enormous amount 236 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: of demand for for yield. We think the US market, 237 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: although we think the yields are very low, it's kind 238 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: of like the we're kind of the the uh ugly 239 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: prettiest in an ugly contest to a certain degree, and 240 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: that are yields at tore across different markets in the 241 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: US actually look very attractive to non US investors. So 242 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: we think the story for the next couple of years 243 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 1: is going to be demand for yield because we think 244 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: rates are going to stay extremely low across the globe 245 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: and do not fight the Fed. Um that's a very 246 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 1: important investment thesis. You're almost always right to not fight 247 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: the Fed. The FED has been very very clear rates 248 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: are going to stay lower for an extended period of 249 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: time to get average inflation meaningfully higher. Number one and 250 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: number two, there's been a recognition that the full employment 251 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: rate is not what you think it is, that there 252 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: are a lot of people that have been displaced from 253 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: the job market having come back in a long period 254 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: of time. You need to keep rates low to incentivize 255 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: companies to actually try to go in and hire those 256 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: people and to get people kind of better paying jobs 257 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: than where a lot of people are right now. And 258 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: so I think that the move from the fed uh 259 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: this year around number one, moving to more of an 260 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: average inflation target, and secondly, the discussion around what really 261 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: full employment is is likely to lead the to be 262 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: very very easy for an extended period of time, which 263 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: is going to mean low rates and yield is going 264 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: to commit a significant premium. So let's take a look 265 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: at that exact issue from the perspective of the average investor. 266 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: Where does someone who does not have those restrictions that 267 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: a public pension fund or a foundation might have where 268 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: do they go if they're looking for more yield but 269 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: without taking the sort of crazy risk that got people 270 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,360 Speaker 1: into trouble in O eight oh nine. So I think 271 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: there there are a few different places I think UM 272 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: number one, I think that UM individual investors still benefits 273 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: significantly from owning long data municipals. So, as an individual, 274 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: I would own a good chunk of my uh my 275 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: six s income allocation in high quality long data municipals. 276 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: They're trading at very comparable yields to where treasuries are. 277 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: And obviously taxes are not going down, taxes are likely 278 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: to be going up UM, and so there's a significant 279 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: benefit there. UM. And I think we're very confident from 280 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: a credit standpoint in terms of higher quality investment grademmunities 281 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: that you're not talking about a significant credit risk. Secondly, 282 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: is within the kind of the Bloomberg aggregate world where 283 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: most fixed income lies in, in kind of the core 284 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: intermediate fixed income space. There are a lot of things 285 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: to do to do better than the one percent that 286 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: exists in treasuries. UM Number one is, uh, there's the 287 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: there's credit. So we think that the credit market, like 288 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: the two one is setting up to be a phenomenal 289 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: year for credit. Obviously, credit spreads have come back a 290 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: lot since the COVID shock, but we feel that the 291 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: combination of low rates as well as fiscal stimulus and 292 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: recovery post COVID is going to lead to an extremely 293 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: attractive market for credit. So number one is moving down 294 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: a little bit in quality and credit um within the 295 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: unconstrained space, moving a little bit into high yield. And 296 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: as I mentioned before, we think the double bees offer 297 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: a very significant yield pick up relative to owning, kind 298 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: of triple bes an investment grade. Secondly, as leverage loans um, 299 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: this is an asset class that's been an outflow um 300 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: since I've been in the business. Uh, leverage loans are 301 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: higher quality from a credit standpoint than high yield credit um. 302 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:28,439 Speaker 1: They have a feature that works for investors sometimes but 303 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: not not other times, and so they're floating rate in nature. 304 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:33,199 Speaker 1: A lot of investors have bought them because they were 305 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: concerned about rising rates. Despite the fact that they're floating rate, 306 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: and I mentioned the point that rates are likely to 307 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: stay low for extended period of time. They offer an 308 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: extremely attractive level of carry four or five without taking, 309 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, kind of crazy crazy risk. Second, another 310 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 1: point on top of kind of having a little bit 311 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: more credit exposure in your portfolio and long dated communities 312 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: is agency mortgages and I kind of view them as 313 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: a a way to barbell your portfolio. And this is 314 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 1: what we're doing. In our core bond portfolios are traditional 315 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: Bloomberg aggregate portfolios were barbelling UM double B credit bank 316 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: loans along with agency mortgages. Agency mortgages either guaranteed or 317 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: implicit guaranteed from the government. What you're doing effectively is 318 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: your UM taking a spread for owning pre payment risk. Uh. 319 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:25,879 Speaker 1: And our view is that number one is that we 320 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: feel that pre payment risk is coming down. But secondly, 321 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,639 Speaker 1: and this is a really interesting point, is that mortgages 322 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: offer you a hedge. And one of the topics I 323 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: know that we're gonna talk today about a little bit 324 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 1: is the sixty forty kind of balance and do we 325 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 1: still feel the sixty forty makes sense? And then you're 326 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,679 Speaker 1: getting kind of hedge benefits of being in fixed income. 327 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,719 Speaker 1: Agency mortgages are one of the securities where you actually 328 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: are and the reason for that is that you have 329 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: a FED that is buying the securities, and so in 330 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: the event that the US economy go south, um credit 331 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: spreads potentially widden. You see, the agency mortgages are an 332 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: the class that the FED is likely to buy and 333 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: drive down that yield very significantly. So we think it's 334 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: a very important policy tool. And so buying on the fringe, 335 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 1: buying what the Fed's not buying number one, which is 336 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: double bees and uh and and bank loans, and pairing 337 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: that with what the FED is and can buy a 338 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: lot more of, which is agency mortgages. That's that's quite interesting. 339 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 1: I had a pet theory a couple of years ago 340 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: that there was a shortage of high quality sovereign bonds 341 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: UM and a number of people in the bond side 342 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: of things told me, Yeah, there's just insatiable demand for 343 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,960 Speaker 1: paper and there isn't that much of it. Is that 344 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: still the case? Are we seeing enough high quality sovereign 345 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: paper out there to meet the demand? I I UM, 346 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: I don't believe that there's a shortage of bonds. There's 347 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 1: a shortage of bonds at good prices. So there's that's 348 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: a that's a that's a you know, it's it sounds 349 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: kind of silly, but it's it's it's actually an important difference. 350 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: You know, the ECB talked a lot about is there 351 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: a shortage of bonds for them to buy to implement 352 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: monetary policy and quee uh, And the answer is no, 353 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 1: just raise your price. And that's what they've done, and 354 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: that's why yields in Europe are negative. What they're doing 355 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: is they're driving sovereign yields down to the point where 356 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: you are forced to sell them and do something else 357 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: with it. What are you doing else with it? You 358 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: can buy equities, and some people are doing that and 359 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 1: rebalancing portfolios and buying equities, and that obviously has a 360 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: stimulant effect on the economy. And secondly is what they're 361 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: doing is they're forcing people out on the respectrum within 362 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,439 Speaker 1: fixed income to buy credit. So to answer your question, 363 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: I don't think there's a shortage. I think in some 364 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: markets there's a shortage, shortage of good prices. But I 365 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: do feel that this movement to the next best asset class, 366 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: which is what central banks want people to do, that 367 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: there's enough yield and enough attractive opportunities. I think that 368 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 1: um keeping your money in your own market when the 369 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 1: central bank is manipulating the price. I think that that's 370 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: something to kind of think about. So you have obviously 371 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 1: US rates really low, European rates really low, in Japanese 372 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,479 Speaker 1: rates really low because the central banks are trying to 373 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: create um simulus in the economy by keeping rates artificially low. 374 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: But there are other markets out there that are not 375 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: as heavily impacted by central bank policy. So one of 376 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: the things that we're doing in portfolios is not just 377 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,439 Speaker 1: keeping all of our rate exposure in those markets, but 378 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: diversifying into some of the higher yielding markets. And so 379 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:39,120 Speaker 1: if you look at UM rates in Australia, rates in Canada, 380 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 1: rates in uh in Sweden, you have Norway much steeper 381 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,400 Speaker 1: yield curves and the ability be able to actually generate 382 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: yield on the longer end of those curves. The importance 383 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 1: of that is around hedge efficacy. At zero, you don't 384 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: feel like you have a lot of upside if the 385 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,200 Speaker 1: world goes bad in your bond portfolio. But if you're 386 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,159 Speaker 1: yielding one, one, one and a half percent you US, 387 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: you have a lot more upside. And then lastly, diversifying 388 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,479 Speaker 1: a little bit into some of the higher quality emerging 389 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: markets UM. A country like Mexico has meaningfully higher both 390 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,479 Speaker 1: nominal rates and real rates in the US, and active 391 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,399 Speaker 1: managers can look at that and say, Okay, what is 392 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: the risk of investing in Mexico. Do I want to 393 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: hold the currency risk or not? But I actually have 394 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,439 Speaker 1: a real positive real rate And in the event that 395 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,159 Speaker 1: the U S slows, well, then it's likely that Mexico slows, 396 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 1: and you should see kind of a rally and accommodated 397 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: policy in both countries. More room to rally in a 398 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: country like Mexico. So getting a little bit more diversified 399 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: in your sovereign exposure, we think makes a lot of sense. 400 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: So over the weekend I read this really interesting piece 401 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg China opens its bond market with unknown consequences 402 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: for the world. So let's let's look at that. What 403 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: does it mean that China is opening their bond market 404 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: and what might that mean to global interest rates? So um, 405 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,639 Speaker 1: you asked, you know the question earlier about the shortage 406 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: of high quality bonds. By seeing liberalization in China and 407 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: expansion of issuance from the Chinese government from high quality 408 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: Chinese corporates into the global markets, creating more access and 409 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:22,439 Speaker 1: more liquidity, clearly is going to be good for investors 410 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: and savers UH, and it can potentially crowd out some 411 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: of the investment that's been made in in UM other 412 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: high quality markets. So if you look at Europe at 413 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,000 Speaker 1: negative or zero rates, you look at the US at 414 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: very low rates, UM, you look at Japan. If you 415 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: create more liquidity, more access to Chinese sovereign bonds that 416 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,159 Speaker 1: are right now yielding three and a quarter three and 417 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: a half percent, that may actually eventually crowd out other investors. 418 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 1: You also look at the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index. It 419 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,439 Speaker 1: has a pretty high percentage of China in it, and 420 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: it's growing, and so as a result, it can actually 421 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: be a yield enhancer for investors, but on the margin 422 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 1: it could have some negative implications to sovereign bond markets 423 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,119 Speaker 1: where yields are so low. UM. We've actually think that, uh, 424 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 1: the liberalization of the Chinese capital markets is is net 425 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: not a good thing. It's a good thing for investors. UM. 426 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 1: The Chinese bob markets actually pretty attractive at those kind 427 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: of yields where the central Bank and the event that 428 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: there is a slowdown globally or slowdown in China, UM, 429 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 1: you have China in a very different policy position than 430 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: the US, Europe and Japan, and so you have a 431 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 1: lot of ability for rates to go down in in 432 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: UH in China, and now that you have more access, 433 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: we think that's a big positive. We think it's been 434 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:41,399 Speaker 1: such an important UM change in the capital markets. We 435 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,239 Speaker 1: actually have issued an e t f UM in in 436 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: UM in the non US market to get people access 437 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: to the Chinese bomb market because it's very hard for 438 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,400 Speaker 1: people to get direct exposure. But as they liberalize clearing 439 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: and custodial issues, UM it's going to become a very 440 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: important part of the broader capital markets. Mike, let's talk 441 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,640 Speaker 1: a little bit about the Federal reserve. I keep reading 442 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: people saying that the Federal Reserve is, you know, destroying 443 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:14,360 Speaker 1: purchasing power, damaging the dollar and driving rates to zero. 444 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: But I'm compelled to ask the question, how influential is 445 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: the Federal Reserve in setting longer term interest rates? So 446 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: on your first question, there's no free lunch when it 447 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,880 Speaker 1: comes to policy. When it comes to policy, it's all 448 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: about tradeoffs. It's about what environment are we in and 449 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 1: what risk do I want to protect against? And so 450 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: when the FED makes a decision to keep rates low 451 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,880 Speaker 1: for an extended period of time. It does have negative implications. 452 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: It does hurt savers, uh, it does hurt banks. But 453 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: they're looking at a crisis situation. The COVID shock was 454 00:25:56,480 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: a real, real crisis situation. They were learned that you'd 455 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: see capital markets completely shut, company's access to that equity 456 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: financing pretty much gone, and that could lead to a really, 457 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: really bad economic scenario. And if we look at those 458 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 1: seven o eight financial crisis, the said was a lot 459 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: slower to act. They were um slower. They acted into 460 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: a small degree in terms of lowering rates, they acted 461 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: to a small degree in terms of purchasing assets, and 462 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: we're still feeling the pain of that as a result 463 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: of the fact that we did not see a v 464 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: shape recovery. We saw a very very slow recovery, and 465 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: it was very, very tough for companies to start spending again, 466 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: to start raising capital again. The FED learned their lesson, 467 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: and so in this COVID shock, they came in really big. 468 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,680 Speaker 1: They drove rates down to zero, and they bought everything, 469 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:52,639 Speaker 1: and they bought more than they ever bought in the past, 470 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: and they bought different asset classes, including removing the freeze 471 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: from the credit markets. Very very important. Now. It doesn't 472 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,399 Speaker 1: come without a cost, but they had to do it, 473 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,800 Speaker 1: and we're still in this shock. We still have companies 474 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: that haven't open, We have companies on the brink of 475 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:12,520 Speaker 1: potential bankruptcy. So the need for keeping rates lower keeping 476 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: capital markets open is it's it's it's a trade off, 477 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 1: and so there's no kind of perfect answer, but from 478 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 1: my perspective, they've done the right thing. Now. To answer 479 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: your the second part of your question is the FED 480 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,959 Speaker 1: in this case and in a crisis situation, they've had 481 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,919 Speaker 1: an impact on interest rates across the entire curve. So 482 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,320 Speaker 1: not only have they UM, you know, their main policy 483 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,680 Speaker 1: tool is obviously the short term rate, so there they 484 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: have a lot of control. And typically you would see 485 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: five year rates, ten year rates, and thirty year rates 486 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: will be driven by economics supply demand factors. In this case, 487 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: the FED has become big across the entire curve. Obviously, 488 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: when you introduced q E to E UM not only 489 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: impact short in, but to E is buying and driving 490 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: yields lower, and so they've had an impact across the 491 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: entire curve. That's not the long term goal I would 492 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: expect to see. UH, the supply demand inflation to be 493 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 1: the bigger drivers on the long end of curve, and 494 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 1: over a long period of time, the set is going 495 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: to have much more control over the short end and 496 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,120 Speaker 1: the long end is going to be driven by by 497 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: other factors. But in a crisis, the set has done 498 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: the right thing and has impacted rates across the entire curve. 499 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: Let's assume that Janet Yellen gets approved by the Senate 500 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,920 Speaker 1: for Treasury Secretary. What do you think of this combination 501 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: of Janet Yelling at Treasury and Jerome Powell at the Fed? 502 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 1: What does that mean for fixed income investors? So we 503 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: were fortunate enough a couple of weeks ago before Cherry 504 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: Yellen was announced as the potential replacement for for Treasury, 505 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: we had her in our our daily investment forum, where 506 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: the equity, fixed income teams and the alternative teams meet 507 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: every day to discuss markets. We were for enough to 508 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: have her in and I think based on her history 509 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 1: and that conversation that between her and Powell, we have 510 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: the dynamic duo. We have people that completely understand um 511 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: capital markets and the impact that capital markets have on 512 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: the real economy. We have people that understand how politics work, 513 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: I think um Joannet Yellen's experience at the FED will 514 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: has definitely sensitized her to the importance of of of 515 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: of fiscal policy. She was not in control of fiscal policy. 516 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:32,959 Speaker 1: But right now you have two people that have been 517 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: at the center of UM major major crises, UM global 518 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,400 Speaker 1: crisis and US crises that are going to be responsible 519 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,400 Speaker 1: for both the monetary and the fiscal side. I view 520 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: that as the dynamic duo, and so one of the 521 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: reasons why we're very constructive on kind of the credit 522 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: markets and voll both equity vall and and and credit 523 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: valls and rate balls staying relatively low for these couple 524 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: of years is that with the two of them in office, 525 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: we think you'll have a really good balance of relatively 526 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: easy monetary policy as well as enough fiscal stimulus to 527 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,760 Speaker 1: UM keep the engine going, which we think will be 528 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: a very good environment for credit. Now, in the end, 529 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 1: fiscal and monetary policy are not going to drive companies profitability. 530 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: It's going to be the economy, and so the ability 531 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 1: for them to be successful in driving the economy. I 532 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: think that the jury is out on that one, but 533 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 1: I don't think we could have done much better than 534 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: the two of them. So so let's just talk about 535 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: fiscal policy for a moment. We saw a huge difference 536 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: between what happens with the Cares Act and that three 537 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,960 Speaker 1: trillion dollars stimulus plan back in March of this year 538 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:51,200 Speaker 1: versus the sort of very low key fiscal stimulus of 539 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: oh eight oh nine. UM it was it was much 540 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: more focused on unfreezing the credit markets and um managing 541 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: rates than was doing a traditional Keenzie stimulus. Since March 542 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: of this year, there have been repeated rumors of the 543 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: Cares Act too passing. I would have bet anything that 544 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,000 Speaker 1: before the election everybody involved would want to pass another stimulus, 545 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 1: but that would have been a losing bet. It raises 546 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: the question if if we couldn't get stimulus through pre election, 547 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: are we going to see any sort of real stimulus 548 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: in the new Biden administration. So I would have lost 549 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 1: the bet as well. There there were too many incentives 550 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: to UM get a package done prior to the election. 551 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: Obviously to three months ago. It didn't happen. UM. It's 552 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 1: really a sign not that it wasn't needed, but it 553 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: was a sign of of of how bad the political 554 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 1: environment is in Washington. UM. I think as we go 555 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: into the new year, I think that the need is 556 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: very material. UM. Just because we've seen good news on 557 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,480 Speaker 1: the vaccine, it doesn't mean that the real economy problems 558 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: go away UM in UM in short order, you still 559 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: have individuals a lot of people that are out of work, 560 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 1: that are furloughed UH. You still have people that are 561 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 1: struggling to make house payments UH. And you know, any 562 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: sort of significant deterioration and housing credit has its own 563 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: implications UM. And then you have also a very significant 564 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: amount of food and security in this country, where people 565 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: are lining up for hours to get food. That's not 566 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: where our country needs to be. And so I think 567 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: that the incentives are likely to be aligned to tast something. 568 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,480 Speaker 1: It's likely not to be as big as UM what 569 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: we thought about UM last year in terms of three 570 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: billion dollar package, but I think that you're likely to 571 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: see something obviously higher probability depending on what happens in 572 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,479 Speaker 1: Georgia if the Democrats do well there, But even if 573 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,280 Speaker 1: we're in a in a UM senate situation, I think 574 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: we're going to see something of this. It's the need 575 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: is too great, and I think the incentives are too 576 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 1: greatly greatly aligned, So not a three trillion dollar package, 577 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 1: but something somewhat you know, a trillion trillion, trillion trillion 578 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 1: area right, A trillion here, a trillion there, it all, 579 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: it all adds up eventually. The timing really matters. Like 580 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 1: there there are a lot of people in this country 581 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:21,480 Speaker 1: that need it. There are a lot of companies that 582 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,800 Speaker 1: need the bridge to the other side. And the bridge 583 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 1: that was given with the fiscal policy number one is 584 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 1: over and so um and again. Back to my point 585 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: is that good vaccine news in the lab doesn't mean 586 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: everybody's getting back to work tomorrow. It's going to take 587 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: one to two years until you know, we really see 588 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 1: the world and the the economic engine um purring the 589 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 1: way that we did a couple of years back, and 590 00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: so we need a little help to get there. To 591 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: say the least, let's talk a little bit about what's 592 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: been going on in the fixed income market. What do 593 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:00,480 Speaker 1: we think of the yield curve these days? Does it 594 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: still signal anything? What were your thoughts when it inverted 595 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 1: not too long before this recession began last year. I 596 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,759 Speaker 1: kind of love how people in the financial markets looked 597 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: to the bond people as the smart people and say 598 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: that bond people not only should know where bond prices are, 599 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,280 Speaker 1: but should know where equity prices are, where the economy 600 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 1: is going. And so they think that we we are, 601 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: you know, we really can predict via what we think 602 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:30,440 Speaker 1: of thirty year bonds versus what we think of two 603 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: year bonds. And what I'll tell you is that we're 604 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:36,399 Speaker 1: not that smart. Uh and and and so I think 605 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: that the historical analysis of yield curves and how they 606 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: predict um equities and economic growth is has been way overstated, 607 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:49,359 Speaker 1: particularly in an environment as we've been discussing on this 608 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: podcast around massive massive central bank intervention, both from a 609 00:34:56,160 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: policy rate perspective as well as from a QWE perspective 610 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: in terms of buying assets, it's hard to look at 611 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:05,800 Speaker 1: the shape of the yield curve as a predictor for 612 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: much right now given the amount of number one government intervention. 613 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: And secondly is you have to keep in mind that 614 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 1: there is massive, massive investor segmentation going on in the 615 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 1: fixed income markets, where um there are a lot of 616 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:25,080 Speaker 1: investors that like pension funds the United States, pension funds 617 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: the United States by long data fixed income to match 618 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 1: against their liabilities no matter what the shape of the 619 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,440 Speaker 1: yield curve. They were buying them when the curve is flat, 620 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: They're buying them when the curve is steep. UM the 621 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 1: same thing with corporations that have been sitting on enormous 622 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: amounts of cash as they've issued a ton of debt 623 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,120 Speaker 1: and are doing nothing with it because they just want 624 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,840 Speaker 1: to be able to um bridge across the COVID crisis 625 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:51,919 Speaker 1: to when the economy kind of reopens. They're buying very 626 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: short dated assets and so all the cash is going there. 627 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: So I think that it's very hard to look at 628 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 1: the yield curve, given give in the environment we're in, 629 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 1: both from a market segmentation standpoint as well as from 630 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 1: how much policy is having an impact across the entire curve, 631 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:12,200 Speaker 1: and really make a significant judgment on on on unworthy 632 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 1: the economy is going. I will say one thing, though, 633 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: is that um I do think that this kind of 634 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 1: normalization that's occurred this year and the steepening of the 635 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:23,840 Speaker 1: U s Heel curve tells you a little bit about 636 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 1: two things. One is the prospects for additional fiscal policy 637 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: and enormous amount of government issuance on the long end 638 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,839 Speaker 1: of the curve, with rates so low, it obviously makes 639 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: an enormous amount of sense for the federal government to 640 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 1: issue debt. Um they're doing that, they're going to do 641 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,080 Speaker 1: a lot more of it. And secondly, it tells you 642 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: a little bit about um uh kind of where we 643 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,080 Speaker 1: stand from a monetary policy standpoint. Obviously, money has been 644 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 1: very easy, big increase in money supply, and so there 645 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: are some in the marketplace that think that on the 646 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,120 Speaker 1: long end, you're starting to price in some level of 647 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,840 Speaker 1: level inflation. I think that's overrated. I think that inflation 648 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,680 Speaker 1: is going to be maybe a story five to ten 649 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:06,240 Speaker 1: years from now, not something that investors, whether it's equity 650 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:09,719 Speaker 1: investors or fixic investors, need to start positioning for. So 651 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: let's let's stick with the idea of um of how 652 00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:18,360 Speaker 1: the yield curve has been manipulated, manage, whatever word you 653 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: you want to use. Did you ever imagine ten fifteen 654 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:27,800 Speaker 1: years ago that you would see so many yields gone 655 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,080 Speaker 1: negative all around the world? And and is that a 656 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:37,959 Speaker 1: realistic possibility of negative rates occurring in the US? So 657 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:43,440 Speaker 1: ten fifteen years ago, no, when I was taking economous classes, no, 658 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,719 Speaker 1: they you know, when the rates were eight nine Uh, 659 00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: they didn't say, well, you know, what does it take 660 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 1: for rates to become negative? That wasn't kind of even 661 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: even discussed. Uh. So the answer is no. But when 662 00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: you think about the environment we're in, you think about economics, uh, 663 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 1: there is some intuition around negative rates. Uh. And now 664 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:08,719 Speaker 1: it's kind of the same discussion that we had earlier 665 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:13,640 Speaker 1: around tradeoffs. So it's a trade off. The e c 666 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,800 Speaker 1: b UM and the Bank of Japan made a decision 667 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:24,160 Speaker 1: to sacrifice savers for the benefit of of of industry 668 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,520 Speaker 1: and corporations to be able to have access to financing, 669 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 1: to incentivize savers to move out the respectrum, to buy equities, 670 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:36,480 Speaker 1: to make equity financing more attractive, to make deafinancing more 671 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,520 Speaker 1: more more attractive, to create more jobs, and to get 672 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 1: the economy going. But it's at a at a cost, 673 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:43,799 Speaker 1: and it's obvious god a cost on savers and a 674 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:47,839 Speaker 1: cost on on on on financial institutions that rely upon 675 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: shape of a yeel curve and rely upon yield. I 676 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 1: think that there is some merit to negative yields. The 677 00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,880 Speaker 1: said doesn't want to make that trade off. They've said that, 678 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,960 Speaker 1: but I would say that it is a policy outcome 679 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,240 Speaker 1: that could get there, could get there that either they 680 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: decide to bring it there or the market brings it there. 681 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:11,839 Speaker 1: Envision a world where UM, you see significant slow down 682 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:15,400 Speaker 1: and global growth, equity markets trade off outside the US, 683 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,439 Speaker 1: and the US is viewed as the safe haven said 684 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: lowers rates even more, starts to buy more, and the 685 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,799 Speaker 1: US dollar is viewed as that only thing that's good 686 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,840 Speaker 1: and the safe haven currency. You can envision a situation 687 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 1: where treasuries, maybe the Fed doesn't bring rates negative, but 688 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 1: people decide that to store their wealth, they would rather 689 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 1: be in a dollar denominated asset that they have to 690 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:43,120 Speaker 1: pay something small than being an asset that has a 691 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of risk. And so it's it 692 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,919 Speaker 1: is a possibility, but from a policy standpoint, the US 693 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: has so far made a decision to to not to 694 00:39:51,239 --> 00:39:56,080 Speaker 1: not go there. Huh. Interesting you mentioned UM the likelihood 695 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 1: of some form of fiscal stimulus and the need for 696 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 1: further UM treasury issuance. We've been hearing rumors, I don't know, 697 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 1: for about ten years of a grand infrastructure build out, 698 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 1: which has yet to happen. It seems like a no 699 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:19,200 Speaker 1: brainer from the new administration. Any chance we see longer 700 00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 1: dated bonds with rates this low, a fifty year treasury 701 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 1: or even a hundred year US Treasury. I mean, if 702 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:29,480 Speaker 1: if if I were at the Treasury, I would issue 703 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:34,960 Speaker 1: a thousand years at these rate levels. I mean, you know, 704 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 1: why not, You're you're locking in, you know, financing for 705 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:41,040 Speaker 1: extended period of time at a dramatically lower yield. And 706 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:43,919 Speaker 1: it's very possible that yields further out on the yield 707 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 1: curve are not meaningfully higher than where they are to day. 708 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,920 Speaker 1: There's still a lot of demand for very long dated 709 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,000 Speaker 1: cash flows from pension funds that and insurance companies that 710 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,200 Speaker 1: are trying to match against match against liabilities. And as 711 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:59,440 Speaker 1: people live longer and longer, there's going to be more 712 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,960 Speaker 1: and more knee need for longer dated, longer dated assets. 713 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:06,040 Speaker 1: So um, I could see that To your question on infrastructure, 714 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,400 Speaker 1: I think it's gonna you know, it's really going to 715 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:12,000 Speaker 1: rely upon, assuming that we have a Republican Senate. It's 716 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,040 Speaker 1: going to rely upon whether or not the Biden administration 717 00:41:15,719 --> 00:41:18,240 Speaker 1: is true to its word about working across the aisle 718 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:20,799 Speaker 1: number one and number two, if they're going to be 719 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,640 Speaker 1: successful at doing that. But there's a lot of need 720 00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:27,440 Speaker 1: for you know, I think right now, the spending that 721 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:29,200 Speaker 1: needs to get done needs to be directly in the 722 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,080 Speaker 1: pockets of people that have been affected by COVID. But 723 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: as we look out a couple of years longer term, 724 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,680 Speaker 1: there needs to be a long term investment plan for 725 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:41,400 Speaker 1: this country and a lot of countries, and infrastructure is 726 00:41:41,400 --> 00:41:43,520 Speaker 1: going to be important. It's just a matter of whether 727 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,520 Speaker 1: or not the political will there is there to look 728 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:50,040 Speaker 1: at an investment that pays off in five, ten, fifteen years, 729 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,480 Speaker 1: versus the way we look at things right now, which 730 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 1: is all about today and tomorrow and how does it 731 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:56,920 Speaker 1: impact my poll numbers. So hopefully we get to the 732 00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,319 Speaker 1: point where we make more rational long term decisions, and 733 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,800 Speaker 1: I think if we did, I think that infrastructure is 734 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:06,919 Speaker 1: likely to be immedially on the table. Quite interesting. Let's 735 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,560 Speaker 1: let's talk a little bit about duration. Um, you mentioned 736 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:13,560 Speaker 1: the yield curve has steepened, but not a whole lot. 737 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:17,000 Speaker 1: What what's the difference between the three month and the 738 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,360 Speaker 1: ten year it's it's I think less than a hundred 739 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:24,680 Speaker 1: bits less. I looked, is that sort of duration risk 740 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,920 Speaker 1: worth it? Normally in a steeper yield curve, obviously you're 741 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:33,280 Speaker 1: getting paid much more uh to lend out for a decade. 742 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 1: What what are you thinking in terms of duration? And 743 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:40,440 Speaker 1: are we going to continue to see such a relatively 744 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:46,839 Speaker 1: modest um yield curve for for the foreseeable future? So 745 00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: you're you're The answer to your question can be very 746 00:42:51,719 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 1: different for UM, who am I or who am I 747 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 1: representing as an investor as a fiduciary UM in terms 748 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:03,759 Speaker 1: of how I answer that question. So this kind of 749 00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:08,719 Speaker 1: um bleeds into the topic of kind of dynamic and 750 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:12,560 Speaker 1: do do do bonds at very low yields still offer 751 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 1: investors protection against kind of growth and UH and and 752 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,879 Speaker 1: and risk assets. And I think that at UM eight 753 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: basis points in that area you still have a meaningful 754 00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,319 Speaker 1: amount of upside. And back to my point earlier, it 755 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:31,320 Speaker 1: is possible that rates break the lower bound of zero 756 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:35,600 Speaker 1: in the event that you have a significant global global recession. 757 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:39,279 Speaker 1: So I think that UM basis points in terms of 758 00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:42,120 Speaker 1: owning tenure treasuries, it doesn't feel really good, but it's 759 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:44,840 Speaker 1: still when you look at equities and how equities have 760 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,879 Speaker 1: performed so well, you don't want to just own equities unprotected. 761 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:51,600 Speaker 1: And I still think in the rate market, whether it's 762 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:54,000 Speaker 1: the US, whether it's the other markets I talked about earlier, 763 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,600 Speaker 1: You're still getting some very significant hedge benefit. But when 764 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:01,600 Speaker 1: you look out right at the US market at points 765 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:04,040 Speaker 1: a hundred basis points on the tenure, is that a 766 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,640 Speaker 1: great five to ten year investment. Probably not. I would 767 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,560 Speaker 1: say as an individual, I would much rather own longer 768 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:13,440 Speaker 1: data municipals. UM. I think I get a lot of 769 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:15,920 Speaker 1: the upside in the event that rates come down and 770 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:18,440 Speaker 1: there's a slowdown in the economy and I'm getting on 771 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:21,680 Speaker 1: a tax adjusted basis a lot more yield. I uh. 772 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:25,360 Speaker 1: And then and then lastly, as a active investor in 773 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: fixed income, do I want to be overweight duration or 774 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:31,200 Speaker 1: underweight duration? UM? I would say that calling the rate 775 00:44:31,239 --> 00:44:34,040 Speaker 1: move is a really, really tough one, and I think 776 00:44:34,239 --> 00:44:37,799 Speaker 1: having an appropriate allocation across fixed income equities and other 777 00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:39,880 Speaker 1: asset classes is the way we really to think about it. 778 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:42,000 Speaker 1: But I will say that I think the FED is 779 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:43,719 Speaker 1: going to be on hold for a long period of time. 780 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:48,160 Speaker 1: And as the ten year Treasury trades in the arrange 781 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:50,680 Speaker 1: from fifty basis points on hundred fifty basis points, because 782 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:52,600 Speaker 1: you get out to a hundred basis points, you probably 783 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:54,239 Speaker 1: want to own a little bit more interest rate risk 784 00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:55,560 Speaker 1: is the Fed's going to be on hold, and I 785 00:44:55,560 --> 00:44:58,920 Speaker 1: think that inflation, particularly in the US, is going to 786 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:04,680 Speaker 1: stay very modest wall below, well below the FETCH target. Interesting, well, 787 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:07,360 Speaker 1: a lot of people agree with you. We continue to 788 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:14,719 Speaker 1: see record inflows into fixed income ets despite interest rates 789 00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:17,759 Speaker 1: as low as they are. What are your thoughts about that? 790 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,719 Speaker 1: Who who are the buyers of those fixed income ETFs? 791 00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:24,600 Speaker 1: Is that UM main Street or is that more of 792 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:27,920 Speaker 1: an institutional investor? What? What are your thoughts on the 793 00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:31,479 Speaker 1: activity in that space. So we we talked a little 794 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:34,880 Speaker 1: bit earlier about how fixed income ETFs have been a 795 00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 1: little bit slower to be adopted because of active managers 796 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:41,400 Speaker 1: having more success m but this year you're actually seeing 797 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:45,800 Speaker 1: more flows into bondy TF and you're seeing in equity 798 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:48,520 Speaker 1: e t F for the first time. So there's no 799 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:52,040 Speaker 1: question that e t F are being used much more actively. 800 00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: I would say two main holders investors. Number one is 801 00:45:58,680 --> 00:46:00,960 Speaker 1: the and you know the word world a lot better 802 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:04,800 Speaker 1: than I do. The r I a community the wealth 803 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,040 Speaker 1: managers in the marketplace that have kind of converted their 804 00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:11,320 Speaker 1: business model from more of an open ended model to 805 00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:14,880 Speaker 1: really one that is driven by liquidity and low fees. 806 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,040 Speaker 1: Within ETFs, those are I think that the dominant players 807 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:23,720 Speaker 1: that you're seeing more model portfolios that include ETFs mainly 808 00:46:23,760 --> 00:46:27,120 Speaker 1: for the purpose of UM access to different segments of 809 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:29,239 Speaker 1: the marketplace. So the good thing about E t F 810 00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:31,120 Speaker 1: s is that you can carve up and you can 811 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:33,640 Speaker 1: have an industrial only or this only or double B 812 00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:35,239 Speaker 1: only and so on and so on. So there's a 813 00:46:35,239 --> 00:46:37,960 Speaker 1: lot of ability to be able to carve portfolios in 814 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,000 Speaker 1: a more customized way, and the fees are are very low. 815 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:47,279 Speaker 1: Secondly is you have UM some institutional players that UM 816 00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:50,839 Speaker 1: use ETFs as a way to either gain very quick 817 00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:58,160 Speaker 1: exposure intra day or to UM basically UM UH exercise 818 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:02,600 Speaker 1: UM arbitrage in in between kind of the cash underlying 819 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:04,840 Speaker 1: securities that exists in E t F and the E 820 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:08,239 Speaker 1: t F. I would say that those are the dominant 821 00:47:08,239 --> 00:47:12,000 Speaker 1: players within the t F market. There's no free lunch 822 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:15,399 Speaker 1: that E t S gives an investor. UM people think 823 00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:17,239 Speaker 1: that while the liquidity is so much better in E 824 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,160 Speaker 1: t F S and UH, you know, the liquidity in 825 00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 1: ETFs on a day when there's very little trading might 826 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:26,040 Speaker 1: be a little bit better than the underlyers. But in 827 00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:29,040 Speaker 1: a risk environment, in a credit risk environment. When there's 828 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:32,040 Speaker 1: a risk off or or a lot of risk on liquidity, 829 00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:34,480 Speaker 1: b t S are only as good as the underlyer. 830 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:37,480 Speaker 1: So I think it really comes down to UM segmentation, 831 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:41,400 Speaker 1: the ability be able to specifically target certain parts of 832 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:44,200 Speaker 1: the market as a r I A or an investor 833 00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:47,160 Speaker 1: that's trying to target specific risks, and then secondly to 834 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:50,239 Speaker 1: to to get lower fees than what's available in the 835 00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:53,320 Speaker 1: open ended, open ended space. Now we as an active 836 00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:55,920 Speaker 1: manager UM, we are obviously have the ability be able 837 00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:58,040 Speaker 1: to buy bonds, and we try to buy bonds that 838 00:47:58,120 --> 00:47:59,879 Speaker 1: we think can outperform the index. We've done a good 839 00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:02,279 Speaker 1: job of that. We also will use e t F 840 00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:05,000 Speaker 1: from time to time, but really is a way to 841 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:08,400 Speaker 1: get risk on in the market very quickly or in 842 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,960 Speaker 1: periods of time where E t F liquidity is better 843 00:48:12,040 --> 00:48:13,840 Speaker 1: than the cash market. And one thing we've seen in 844 00:48:13,880 --> 00:48:16,400 Speaker 1: the credit markets and the COVID shock is that there 845 00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:19,400 Speaker 1: was a lot of transparency that existed in ETFs. The 846 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,840 Speaker 1: physical bond market was frozen, but et F still traded 847 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:24,920 Speaker 1: UM and so as a result, when you didn't see 848 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:26,920 Speaker 1: a lot of trading in bonds, you actually saw E 849 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:29,399 Speaker 1: t F trade and got a lot of price transparency, 850 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,000 Speaker 1: and so we'll use that as another source of transfer 851 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:34,239 Speaker 1: of risk. And so you're finding that a lot of 852 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:37,120 Speaker 1: investors are actually using it for that purpose. Short term 853 00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:41,880 Speaker 1: trades get exposure and then eventually to work into single 854 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:45,520 Speaker 1: name exposure within the cash market. So let's stay with 855 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:48,520 Speaker 1: that for a minute. Back in March, when everything went 856 00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:53,799 Speaker 1: sideways um and and both inequities and bonds, we did 857 00:48:53,920 --> 00:48:57,920 Speaker 1: see a fairly substantial dislocation in the bond market and 858 00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:01,560 Speaker 1: some of the E t F pricing looked wildly out 859 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:05,520 Speaker 1: of whack. Was it really the underlying that was the problem. 860 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:08,680 Speaker 1: There was no pricing and liquidly so E t F 861 00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:12,239 Speaker 1: traders were just making their best guests. What what went 862 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,440 Speaker 1: wrong back then when the n A V s UH 863 00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:23,160 Speaker 1: seemed to be not exactly on the money. So I 864 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:27,399 Speaker 1: think what happened was was that you had a very 865 00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:32,960 Speaker 1: very quick move in the cash underliers and then you 866 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:37,640 Speaker 1: had a lag in the equity prices of E t 867 00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:41,440 Speaker 1: F s, causing to some degree some premiums to be 868 00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:45,040 Speaker 1: very high or discounts to be very wide. That can 869 00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:49,040 Speaker 1: happen for a very short period of time. I will say, though, 870 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:53,360 Speaker 1: that at that time, particularly the COVID crisis in credit 871 00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:56,160 Speaker 1: in high yield and investment great credit areas that really 872 00:49:56,239 --> 00:50:00,399 Speaker 1: froze up, and there was a massive lack of price 873 00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:05,640 Speaker 1: transparency in the cash market. UM E t F still 874 00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:10,239 Speaker 1: traded investors are as individuals. They wanted to get out, 875 00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:13,759 Speaker 1: and so what happened was was they have to UM 876 00:50:14,160 --> 00:50:16,800 Speaker 1: get to a price that can obviously clear the market. 877 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:19,400 Speaker 1: But when you're trading an equity or an e t F, 878 00:50:19,920 --> 00:50:23,319 Speaker 1: you have two variables you're thinking about. One is can 879 00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:25,640 Speaker 1: I then sell that e t F to somebody else? 880 00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:28,000 Speaker 1: And what price story needs to move it down to 881 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:30,279 Speaker 1: be able to bring in an investor. That wasn't the 882 00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,800 Speaker 1: environment because there were only sellers at the time. So 883 00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:37,000 Speaker 1: what was going on was a estimate by the e 884 00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:41,200 Speaker 1: t F liquidity providers on what is the right price? 885 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:44,319 Speaker 1: How far down are these cash bonds. Now, I will 886 00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:48,880 Speaker 1: tell you that the traditional liquidity providers and e t 887 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:53,440 Speaker 1: f s aren't fixed income experts to a great degree 888 00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:55,640 Speaker 1: that they can actually do that. So what happened was 889 00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:59,279 Speaker 1: players like us jumped in and said, okay, we'll buy 890 00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:01,640 Speaker 1: that e t F. We'll buy it down three points 891 00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:04,399 Speaker 1: or five points or whatever, because we have a high 892 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:07,360 Speaker 1: degree of confidence on how to value the underliers. So 893 00:51:07,440 --> 00:51:09,600 Speaker 1: there was a mismatch for a very short period of 894 00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: time between where equities cleared and what the actual pricing 895 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,640 Speaker 1: was in the underliers. But it was a reality that 896 00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:20,840 Speaker 1: people just didn't know what the underwiers were worth. But 897 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: all told, it sorted itself out pretty quickly, and the 898 00:51:25,760 --> 00:51:28,560 Speaker 1: fact that there was even any liquidly at all is 899 00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:33,440 Speaker 1: uh was quite quite a surprise. And exactly players like 900 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:37,160 Speaker 1: you are the reason why the e t F prices 901 00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:42,400 Speaker 1: eventually came back to where um they were rational. Am 902 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:46,280 Speaker 1: I overstating that? Or is that A was absolutely absolutely accurate. 903 00:51:46,719 --> 00:51:49,759 Speaker 1: And I will say that this level of dislocation that 904 00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:52,360 Speaker 1: occurred between the cash market and the e t F market, 905 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:57,399 Speaker 1: between the cash and the synthetic market and credit was very, 906 00:51:58,120 --> 00:52:01,200 Speaker 1: very very I think I said that three times concerning 907 00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:04,880 Speaker 1: to the FED, and this is one of the reasons 908 00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:10,160 Speaker 1: why the Fed decided to do something extremely unprecedented. The 909 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:13,040 Speaker 1: FED stepped in and said, We're not just going to 910 00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:16,880 Speaker 1: buy twelve year treasuries because their cheap to tenure treasuries. 911 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:20,960 Speaker 1: We're not just going to provide um funding to the 912 00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:24,800 Speaker 1: money markets. We're not just going to buy agency mortgages 913 00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:27,560 Speaker 1: to drive down the cost for homeowners and refinancing, but 914 00:52:27,600 --> 00:52:29,640 Speaker 1: we're actually gonna get into the credit market because the 915 00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:32,360 Speaker 1: credit market and particularly the cash market is frozen. So 916 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:36,080 Speaker 1: they announced a plan to buy individual bonds, provide direct 917 00:52:36,160 --> 00:52:40,320 Speaker 1: funding by e TF in the credit market. Uh and 918 00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:43,560 Speaker 1: and also extend lending and potentially by municipals as well. 919 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:47,400 Speaker 1: So very unprecedented action because of these these kind of 920 00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:50,480 Speaker 1: dislocations that occurred in the lack of transparency, and what 921 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:54,279 Speaker 1: did it do. It actually caused that that um, you know, 922 00:52:54,360 --> 00:52:58,400 Speaker 1: that arbitrage between ets and cash bonds to eventually go away. 923 00:52:59,080 --> 00:53:01,960 Speaker 1: Uh And it also you open the capital markets to 924 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:04,160 Speaker 1: allow companies to get back to issue debt to be 925 00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:09,239 Speaker 1: able to bridge themselves past the past economic crisis. Quite fascinating. 926 00:53:09,600 --> 00:53:11,960 Speaker 1: Before we get to our favorite questions, I have to 927 00:53:12,080 --> 00:53:14,920 Speaker 1: at least ask you about some of the funds that 928 00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:19,160 Speaker 1: that your team manages and the four big ones I'm 929 00:53:19,160 --> 00:53:24,240 Speaker 1: looking at Government income fund, core fixed income fund, bond fund, 930 00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:29,800 Speaker 1: and strategic income funds. I know compliance gives you limited 931 00:53:29,840 --> 00:53:33,320 Speaker 1: things you're allowed to say about them, um, but broadly 932 00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:39,440 Speaker 1: tell us about the strategic differences between those groups. So 933 00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:44,880 Speaker 1: UM government income has stated is combination of government securities 934 00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:48,560 Speaker 1: as well as agency mortgage securities. So super high quality 935 00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:51,759 Speaker 1: UM a decent amount of duration there, but not a 936 00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:56,839 Speaker 1: credit oriented product. UH. Core product UM is a core 937 00:53:56,960 --> 00:53:59,920 Speaker 1: holding for people, So we we think of sixty allocay 938 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:04,480 Speaker 1: and something like a core fund is critical to balance 939 00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:07,440 Speaker 1: in a portfolio relative to equity and risk assets. The 940 00:54:07,600 --> 00:54:12,799 Speaker 1: idea in a core fund investment grade only agency mortgages, treasuries, 941 00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:16,279 Speaker 1: agency debt, as well as investment grade credit and so 942 00:54:16,440 --> 00:54:19,399 Speaker 1: our view about it's really important that you have your 943 00:54:19,520 --> 00:54:22,960 Speaker 1: the chunk of your fixed income allocation in super high 944 00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:27,279 Speaker 1: quality to avoid situations that we experience like in the 945 00:54:27,360 --> 00:54:31,239 Speaker 1: oh seven oh shock where people had the sixty allocation, 946 00:54:31,600 --> 00:54:33,239 Speaker 1: but when they woke up the next day and rates 947 00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:35,560 Speaker 1: were down, they figured out that their forty was also 948 00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:38,440 Speaker 1: down because it had a lot of credit and and 949 00:54:38,800 --> 00:54:41,560 Speaker 1: and subprime mortgages and things like that in there. So 950 00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:45,720 Speaker 1: core is by definition core. Then you have our GS 951 00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:48,680 Speaker 1: bond product, which is more of a it's a Bloomberg 952 00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:52,000 Speaker 1: aggregate product, white core, but it can do high yield 953 00:54:52,040 --> 00:54:55,520 Speaker 1: an emerging market debt, so it's intended to be part 954 00:54:55,600 --> 00:54:59,880 Speaker 1: of your fixed income but have more satellite higher return 955 00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:04,719 Speaker 1: type strategies to increase the yield. And then strategic by 956 00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:08,000 Speaker 1: definition is strategic it can go kind of anywhere, um, 957 00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:11,040 Speaker 1: and so there it's a library based products, so not 958 00:55:11,520 --> 00:55:13,840 Speaker 1: it doesn't have five years or seven years of duration 959 00:55:13,960 --> 00:55:17,200 Speaker 1: potentially like the other products. But it is a cash 960 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:19,600 Speaker 1: based product where it's kind of more of an absolute 961 00:55:19,600 --> 00:55:21,600 Speaker 1: return product where you can go anywhere within the fixed 962 00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:24,360 Speaker 1: income markets. And so that product is trying to generate 963 00:55:24,400 --> 00:55:26,680 Speaker 1: a little bit higher levels of return without taking on 964 00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:30,120 Speaker 1: the interest Thry risk. I'm glad I I asked about that. 965 00:55:30,440 --> 00:55:33,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure our listeners are going to be quite interested 966 00:55:33,800 --> 00:55:37,440 Speaker 1: in that. These are our favorite questions that we ask 967 00:55:37,719 --> 00:55:41,120 Speaker 1: all of our guests. And since we're talking about COVID 968 00:55:41,200 --> 00:55:44,040 Speaker 1: in the lockdown, let's let's start right right with that. 969 00:55:44,239 --> 00:55:46,680 Speaker 1: What are you streaming these days? Give us your favorite 970 00:55:47,280 --> 00:55:54,360 Speaker 1: work from home Netflix? Amazon? Videos you're watching? So favorite 971 00:55:54,400 --> 00:55:57,480 Speaker 1: on the video side, UM, I would say was a 972 00:55:57,680 --> 00:56:00,640 Speaker 1: recent movie that I think was very elivan as we 973 00:56:00,760 --> 00:56:03,640 Speaker 1: were kind of in a very critical election for our country, 974 00:56:04,080 --> 00:56:07,160 Speaker 1: was The Trial of Chicago seven. I'm not sure if 975 00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:11,040 Speaker 1: it was Netflix or Amazon Prime. But an amazing movie 976 00:56:11,120 --> 00:56:15,400 Speaker 1: about the history of the hippie movement and the protest 977 00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:19,120 Speaker 1: that the hippies um uh and and I went to 978 00:56:19,400 --> 00:56:23,680 Speaker 1: the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to protest against the 979 00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:27,080 Speaker 1: Democratic Party the war, um and kind of and then 980 00:56:27,239 --> 00:56:29,400 Speaker 1: a number of them got arrested. And the reason it 981 00:56:29,520 --> 00:56:32,080 Speaker 1: was number one of the acting was unbelievable. Sasha Baron 982 00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:35,839 Speaker 1: Cohn's in it. He plays Abby Hoffman uh and Uh. 983 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:37,719 Speaker 1: Abbie Hoffman actually went to the same college me as 984 00:56:37,800 --> 00:56:39,920 Speaker 1: Brandis and so I just found that movie to be 985 00:56:40,719 --> 00:56:43,600 Speaker 1: very telling, and it's it's kind of a um a 986 00:56:43,719 --> 00:56:46,680 Speaker 1: story about if you think something's going wrong, speak up 987 00:56:46,680 --> 00:56:48,799 Speaker 1: and do something about it. So I would say from 988 00:56:48,840 --> 00:56:51,840 Speaker 1: a from a movie perspective and streaming that was that 989 00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:56,200 Speaker 1: was definitely number one. That is my Netflix Q and 990 00:56:57,520 --> 00:57:00,600 Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to checking that out. Let. Let's talk 991 00:57:00,640 --> 00:57:04,560 Speaker 1: about your early mentors who affected um the way you 992 00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:09,880 Speaker 1: look at fixed income, who helped guide your career. So UM, 993 00:57:10,080 --> 00:57:13,640 Speaker 1: I would say that two people very early in my career, 994 00:57:13,680 --> 00:57:16,800 Speaker 1: Earleman Brothers, had a pretty big impact. And it was 995 00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:19,280 Speaker 1: less about kind of over the course of a long 996 00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:21,800 Speaker 1: period of time, but single events that had a real 997 00:57:21,840 --> 00:57:24,400 Speaker 1: big impact on me. And so one was this gentleman 998 00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:27,040 Speaker 1: Mike McKeever, who had a lot of capital markets. I 999 00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:30,240 Speaker 1: think he ended up running banking at at lehman Um 1000 00:57:30,520 --> 00:57:33,040 Speaker 1: he put me in charge of very early in my 1001 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:36,640 Speaker 1: career was in the first few months of of recounting 1002 00:57:36,720 --> 00:57:39,920 Speaker 1: what happened in the European markets from an issue and 1003 00:57:39,960 --> 00:57:42,880 Speaker 1: standpoint overnight, so that people when they came in they 1004 00:57:42,920 --> 00:57:45,280 Speaker 1: were speaking their clients about the U S markets had 1005 00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:48,600 Speaker 1: some context for what happened in Europe. And somebody asked 1006 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:51,680 Speaker 1: me a question about during the meeting about a European 1007 00:57:51,720 --> 00:57:54,720 Speaker 1: issue where and I kind of hesitated and I kind 1008 00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:57,120 Speaker 1: of gave an answer like, oh, yeah, yeah, that's what 1009 00:57:57,240 --> 00:58:00,680 Speaker 1: happened in a way that Mike McKeever very much neew 1010 00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:02,440 Speaker 1: that I didn't know what I was talking about. And 1011 00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:04,120 Speaker 1: so in the meeting he called me out and said 1012 00:58:06,000 --> 00:58:09,000 Speaker 1: that your answer is correct, and I said, not really, 1013 00:58:09,080 --> 00:58:11,080 Speaker 1: he said, and in the meeting he said, this is 1014 00:58:11,080 --> 00:58:13,760 Speaker 1: not high school anymore, this is not college. If you're 1015 00:58:13,800 --> 00:58:16,000 Speaker 1: not if you're not sure, you say you're not sure 1016 00:58:16,000 --> 00:58:18,120 Speaker 1: when you get back to someone, But you're talking about 1017 00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:22,680 Speaker 1: people's careers, our client's money at stake, and you can't 1018 00:58:22,920 --> 00:58:26,400 Speaker 1: fake it. And so obviously I was distraught and couldn't 1019 00:58:26,440 --> 00:58:28,320 Speaker 1: believe that somebody tore me to shreds in front of 1020 00:58:28,320 --> 00:58:30,320 Speaker 1: a lot of people. But he was a hundred percent right, 1021 00:58:30,360 --> 00:58:31,840 Speaker 1: and it kind of helped me very early in my 1022 00:58:31,960 --> 00:58:37,640 Speaker 1: career to uh uh take work seriously and that the 1023 00:58:37,720 --> 00:58:42,040 Speaker 1: facts matter. Quite quite interesting, Let's let's talk about books. 1024 00:58:42,080 --> 00:58:44,000 Speaker 1: What are you some of your favorites and what are 1025 00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:50,480 Speaker 1: you reading currently? Uh? A bunch so um. I kind 1026 00:58:50,480 --> 00:58:53,160 Speaker 1: of have a theme in the books that I read 1027 00:58:53,360 --> 00:58:57,840 Speaker 1: almost all our nonfiction uh and and I would say 1028 00:58:57,920 --> 00:59:01,120 Speaker 1: that the two themes are real A lot of investments 1029 00:59:01,160 --> 00:59:04,640 Speaker 1: and I read a lot about UM income inequality and 1030 00:59:05,480 --> 00:59:09,120 Speaker 1: historical racism in in our country. And so the few 1031 00:59:09,120 --> 00:59:11,240 Speaker 1: books that I can think of that that really kind 1032 00:59:11,280 --> 00:59:14,280 Speaker 1: of had an impact on me was Devil in the Grove, 1033 00:59:15,320 --> 00:59:19,560 Speaker 1: which is an amazing book about Thurgood Marshall and his 1034 00:59:20,400 --> 00:59:25,360 Speaker 1: plight into the South, particularly into Florida to help um 1035 00:59:25,840 --> 00:59:29,919 Speaker 1: wrongly accused UM black men who were accused of either 1036 00:59:30,040 --> 00:59:32,360 Speaker 1: murders or were put in put in jail for life 1037 00:59:32,600 --> 00:59:36,280 Speaker 1: or actually um actually uh sentenced to death and to 1038 00:59:36,400 --> 00:59:38,920 Speaker 1: go into these places and defend them. And I think 1039 00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:41,080 Speaker 1: that there's obviously been a lot of books and movies 1040 00:59:41,520 --> 00:59:45,080 Speaker 1: UM since, but this specific story about UM a gentleman 1041 00:59:45,160 --> 00:59:49,560 Speaker 1: in Florida had just a massive impact impact on me. UM. 1042 00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:53,040 Speaker 1: Just Mercy is a very similar book, recent recent movie 1043 00:59:53,160 --> 00:59:57,080 Speaker 1: and and a very similar topic UM. One other on 1044 00:59:57,240 --> 01:00:01,160 Speaker 1: income inequality Hillbilly Elogy, which now there's a movie out UM. 1045 01:00:01,240 --> 01:00:02,640 Speaker 1: I haven't seen the movie yet, but I did read 1046 01:00:02,640 --> 01:00:05,480 Speaker 1: the book and UM kind of thinking about the broader 1047 01:00:05,560 --> 01:00:08,800 Speaker 1: issues that exist across our country. Why there's a lot 1048 01:00:08,880 --> 01:00:13,680 Speaker 1: of political issues UM, racist racism issues and come inequality issues, 1049 01:00:14,160 --> 01:00:17,360 Speaker 1: very very impactful, impactful book. UM. And then on the 1050 01:00:17,400 --> 01:00:20,919 Speaker 1: investment side, this is going back a while, but David 1051 01:00:21,000 --> 01:00:24,920 Speaker 1: Dreaman's book on Country and Investing UM had had a 1052 01:00:24,960 --> 01:00:28,200 Speaker 1: pretty significant impact on me and and and his book 1053 01:00:28,240 --> 01:00:33,640 Speaker 1: is a lot about UM behavioral behavioral science, behavioral economics, 1054 01:00:34,080 --> 01:00:36,680 Speaker 1: and you know, not always following the trend. So being 1055 01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:40,360 Speaker 1: a contrying investor most bond investors are, but looking at 1056 01:00:40,600 --> 01:00:43,440 Speaker 1: investing from different lens than everybody else has had had 1057 01:00:43,440 --> 01:00:47,880 Speaker 1: a pretty big impact on me. Huh, quite fascinating. UM. 1058 01:00:48,360 --> 01:00:50,560 Speaker 1: What sort of advice would you give to a recent 1059 01:00:50,760 --> 01:00:54,440 Speaker 1: college grad who was interested in a career on the 1060 01:00:54,560 --> 01:00:58,960 Speaker 1: fixed income side of the street. Well, I would say, 1061 01:00:59,080 --> 01:01:03,840 Speaker 1: first off, just in terms of people entering the capital markets, 1062 01:01:03,960 --> 01:01:07,720 Speaker 1: financial markets, any any any part of finance, the most 1063 01:01:07,800 --> 01:01:10,080 Speaker 1: important thing is not to worry about what you're doing, 1064 01:01:10,680 --> 01:01:13,400 Speaker 1: and it's more to worry about who you're doing it 1065 01:01:13,480 --> 01:01:16,040 Speaker 1: with and who you're around. And I think in the 1066 01:01:16,160 --> 01:01:19,120 Speaker 1: first five to ten years of your career, don't worry 1067 01:01:19,120 --> 01:01:21,000 Speaker 1: about what you're gonna be when you grow up. That 1068 01:01:21,120 --> 01:01:24,240 Speaker 1: doesn't really matter. What matters more is that you're around 1069 01:01:24,840 --> 01:01:28,440 Speaker 1: smart people that can teach you and are willing to 1070 01:01:28,520 --> 01:01:31,600 Speaker 1: teach you, and and and you will then figure out 1071 01:01:31,920 --> 01:01:34,160 Speaker 1: what direction you want to take your take your career. 1072 01:01:34,600 --> 01:01:37,600 Speaker 1: So I really think that's important. And on top of that, 1073 01:01:38,320 --> 01:01:41,680 Speaker 1: you want to be in a diverse environment. And the 1074 01:01:41,760 --> 01:01:44,120 Speaker 1: word diversity obviously can mean a lot of different things. 1075 01:01:44,560 --> 01:01:49,360 Speaker 1: It can mean diverse obviously racial backgrounds, gender, but it 1076 01:01:49,480 --> 01:01:54,120 Speaker 1: also you want to be around diverse ideas, and it's 1077 01:01:54,200 --> 01:01:56,160 Speaker 1: really important. You don't want to be in an environment 1078 01:01:56,200 --> 01:01:58,920 Speaker 1: where everybody thinks the same. The way you learn is 1079 01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:01,760 Speaker 1: by being exposed to things that are very, very diverse. 1080 01:02:01,880 --> 01:02:04,560 Speaker 1: So I think that's most important. Don't worry about what 1081 01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:06,240 Speaker 1: you want to do when you grow up. Be around 1082 01:02:06,280 --> 01:02:10,800 Speaker 1: smart people. You'll figure it out. Good advice. And our 1083 01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:13,360 Speaker 1: final question, what do you know about the world of 1084 01:02:13,440 --> 01:02:17,560 Speaker 1: investing in fixed income today that you wish you knew 1085 01:02:18,080 --> 01:02:22,560 Speaker 1: thirty years or so ago when you first got started. Well, 1086 01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:26,120 Speaker 1: I first maybe like to answer the question around just 1087 01:02:26,240 --> 01:02:30,840 Speaker 1: investing overall, as giving younger people some advice around investing. 1088 01:02:30,880 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 1: I think that the most important thing develop a plan, 1089 01:02:35,760 --> 01:02:39,280 Speaker 1: stick to the plan and don't look at it. And 1090 01:02:39,880 --> 01:02:43,440 Speaker 1: that is true for people who are non investors, but 1091 01:02:43,680 --> 01:02:47,160 Speaker 1: it's also true for people who are investors. We often 1092 01:02:47,440 --> 01:02:50,400 Speaker 1: get scared out of our out of our shorts when 1093 01:02:50,440 --> 01:02:53,600 Speaker 1: we see events occurring, and we'll go to cash because 1094 01:02:53,640 --> 01:02:56,400 Speaker 1: we think we can be smarter than the market. Don't 1095 01:02:56,480 --> 01:03:00,600 Speaker 1: do that. Develop a plan, develop a diversive pipe diversify 1096 01:03:00,680 --> 01:03:03,880 Speaker 1: plan for your investing, and don't look at it, and 1097 01:03:04,040 --> 01:03:07,920 Speaker 1: stay very consistent in terms of in terms of investing. 1098 01:03:08,360 --> 01:03:11,360 Speaker 1: In terms of the fixed income portion of that UM, 1099 01:03:11,800 --> 01:03:15,640 Speaker 1: I would say probably the same thing goes UM by 1100 01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:18,440 Speaker 1: the same token that I thought that UM rates at 1101 01:03:18,440 --> 01:03:20,520 Speaker 1: eight percent or nine percent when I started my career, 1102 01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:24,360 Speaker 1: looked pretty expensive because rates two years or three years prior, 1103 01:03:24,480 --> 01:03:27,800 Speaker 1: we're eleven or twelve percent. Don't think that you're smarter 1104 01:03:27,920 --> 01:03:31,080 Speaker 1: than the market. Think about your client, think about the 1105 01:03:31,120 --> 01:03:33,600 Speaker 1: type of portfolio and type of riskers you want to take, 1106 01:03:34,000 --> 01:03:38,000 Speaker 1: and be very thoughtful about asset allocation and diversification. And 1107 01:03:38,120 --> 01:03:41,240 Speaker 1: I think that that is the most important lesson, and 1108 01:03:41,280 --> 01:03:43,720 Speaker 1: I think it's true with regard to an individual and 1109 01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:46,360 Speaker 1: multi asset investing, and I think it's also true as 1110 01:03:46,400 --> 01:03:49,280 Speaker 1: a fixed income investor. Thanks Mike for being so generous 1111 01:03:49,320 --> 01:03:52,000 Speaker 1: with your time. We have been speaking with Mike Swell, 1112 01:03:52,080 --> 01:03:56,520 Speaker 1: who runs fixed income portfolio management for Goldman Sachs. If 1113 01:03:56,560 --> 01:03:59,520 Speaker 1: you enjoy this conversation, well, be sure and check out 1114 01:03:59,600 --> 01:04:03,800 Speaker 1: any of our almost four hundred other such conversations where 1115 01:04:03,880 --> 01:04:07,880 Speaker 1: we keep the tape rolling and continue discussing all things finance. 1116 01:04:08,360 --> 01:04:11,920 Speaker 1: You can find that at iTunes, Spotify, wherever you regularly 1117 01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:16,960 Speaker 1: get your podcast fixed. We love your comments, feedback and 1118 01:04:17,160 --> 01:04:21,600 Speaker 1: suggestions right to us at m IB podcast at Bloomberg 1119 01:04:21,680 --> 01:04:24,800 Speaker 1: dot net. Be sure to give us guest suggestions at 1120 01:04:24,880 --> 01:04:28,320 Speaker 1: that email address. Give us a review on Apple iTunes. 1121 01:04:28,920 --> 01:04:31,400 Speaker 1: You can sign up from my Daily reads at rid 1122 01:04:31,440 --> 01:04:35,200 Speaker 1: Halts dot com. Check out my weekly column on Bloomberg 1123 01:04:35,280 --> 01:04:39,280 Speaker 1: dot com slash Opinion. Follow me on Twitter at rit Halts. 1124 01:04:39,840 --> 01:04:42,040 Speaker 1: I would be remiss if I did not thank the 1125 01:04:42,080 --> 01:04:46,000 Speaker 1: Crack staff that helps put these conversations together each week. 1126 01:04:46,600 --> 01:04:51,280 Speaker 1: Tim Harrow is my audio engineer, Michael Boyle is my producer. 1127 01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:56,080 Speaker 1: Latika Valbrun is my project manager. Michael Batnick is my 1128 01:04:56,160 --> 01:04:59,960 Speaker 1: head of research. I'm Barry rid Holts. You've been listening 1129 01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:03,000 Speaker 1: into Master's in Business on Bloomberg Radio