1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Global business news twenty four hours a day at Bloomberg 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: dot com, the radio, plus Globo Lab and on your radio. 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: This is a Bloomberg Business Flash from Bloomberg World Headquarters. 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: I'm Katherine Cowdery and Bloomberg Taking Stock is brought to 5 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: you by Commonwealth Nancial Network. When it's time to change 6 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: the conversation, talk with a broker dealer, r I A 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: Who's ready to listen? Call eight six six four six 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: two three six three eight or visit Commonwealth dot com 9 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: to learn more. The stock market is adding to this 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: week's advanced The S and P five funded is on 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: course for its biggest weekly game since March. The equity 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: benchmarks remain higher after Federal Reserve cheer Johnny Yellen said 13 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: the ongoing improvement in the US economy would warrant another 14 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: interest rate increase in the coming months. She stopped short 15 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: of giving an explicit hint that this central bank will 16 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: act in June. The dollar extended its largest monthly game. Banks, 17 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: healthcare and consumer discretionary shares are up the most. We 18 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: check the markets every fifteen minutes throughout the trading day. 19 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: Down Industrial lavery is up thirteen points at seventeen thousand, 20 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: eight hundred forty one s and p f I funded 21 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: up four points to tens of a percent to two 22 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: thousand ninety four and azzak is up twenty two points, 23 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,680 Speaker 1: a gain of half a percent. It's trading at forty 24 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,400 Speaker 1: nine twenty four. West Texas Intermedia Crude oil down eighteen 25 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: cents of barrel a third of a percent at forty 26 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: nine thirty. It's about gold is down twelve dollars ninety 27 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: cents announce at twelve O nine eighty ten. Your treasury 28 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: down six thirty seconds with the yield of one point 29 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: eight five percent. And that's a Bloomberg business flash. You're 30 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: listening to taking stock with pin Box and Kathleen Hayes 31 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Radio Fetcher. Yellen says that yes, a rate 32 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: high is appropriate and coming months be a little bit 33 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: of a sell off in the bond market with the 34 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: benchmark tenure yield down about six thirty seconds, make that 35 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: three sixteen seals at one point eight five So how 36 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: about a forecast for that ten year no yield going 37 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: down to one point two five per cent. Well, that's 38 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: exactly what our next guest is looking for. We're very 39 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: happy to welcome Mark Grant back to taking Stock. He's 40 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: chief Fixed Income Strategies for Hilltop Securities, joining us from 41 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: Fort lauder Day. All, good afternoon, Mark, Good afternoon, Kathleen. 42 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: It's great to be with both you and Pim. So 43 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: Janet Yellen, did you take away anything special from her 44 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 1: remark speaking to Greg make you at Radcliffe Day today. 45 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: I said earlier in the year that I didn't think 46 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 1: and I still don't think that it's appropriate that the 47 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: Fed do anything. I now have a feeling that they 48 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: are going to make one move, probably in June, maybe 49 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:39,119 Speaker 1: July bases points. I think the odds are about now 50 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,399 Speaker 1: that's coming. The way she sounded today, I think it's 51 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: a mistake, but I think that's what's gonna happen. Hey, Mark, 52 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: I just want to understand something, because if you look 53 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: at the debt that countries and people have taken on, 54 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: this debt funded consumption, it works great for a while, 55 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: but doesn't it end at a certain point. Well them, 56 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: right now, according to the Rating Agency fits, there's nine 57 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: point nine trillion dollars of debt that's yielding less than 58 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: zero in other words, of negative yielding debt, and the 59 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 1: ECB is making noises that it's going to expand its program, 60 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: as well as the Japanese Central Bank, So interestingly enough him, 61 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: I have a divergent opinion here, not unusual for me, 62 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: but um, I think the FED may raise the rate 63 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,839 Speaker 1: basis points. But I'm looking, and we've seen so far 64 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: in the last thirty days a yield curve that is 65 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: flattening significantly and may even go negative. And the reason 66 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: for that is the tremendous amount of money that's coming 67 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: out of Asia and out of Europe, and it's buying 68 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: longer term US security is not just treasuries, but corporate 69 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: bonds and other mortgage back bonds, and so I see 70 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: a flattening yield curve, and I'm looking for the tenure 71 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: to head down to one in a quarter because demand 72 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: is going to be much stronger in my opinion, than supply. 73 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: That seems to me to be so important here for 74 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: people to think about when they think about the bond market. 75 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: Of course, the treasury marketing me up by treasuries, but 76 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: it obviously helps set the price in the yield for 77 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: all kinds of fixed income in US and around the world. 78 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: Is that it's not so much necessarily that yields will 79 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: go a lot lower because we're having a recession or 80 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: that there's deflation the United States. It has much more 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: to do just with investors, particularly big institutions around the world, 82 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: saying I need some yield and compared to so many 83 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: other parts of the world, this is where I'm going 84 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: to get at US, even US treasuries. I think that's correct, Kathleen, 85 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, and almost nobody in the 86 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: media talks about this. But I have a solution to 87 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: the problem, which is to buy closed den bond funds. 88 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: And recently we saw Bill Gros come out saying he 89 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: thought also was the best solution, and we've seen Randy 90 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: Forsyth over Barons be very positive. But I spent about 91 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: forty hours over a weekend once and went through the 92 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: closed in bond funds and using Bloomberg for a lot 93 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 1: of the research, took it down to eleven bond funds, 94 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: and these eleven bond funds the last time I did 95 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 1: the calculation, pay on average ten point to nine. That's 96 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: ten point. They trade like equities. In other words, there's stock, 97 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: but instead of the ownership being General Motors or IBM 98 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 1: or something, the ownership is a bond portfolio, diversified bond 99 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: portfolio managed by black Rock or BABS and Mass Mutual 100 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: or PIMCO or some of the very biggest names out there. 101 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 1: And they also, interestingly enough, pay every month, so you 102 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: get to check every single month, and you're getting over 103 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: ten percent with a monthly check. And I don't know 104 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: better place to put money. What are the risks? Mark? Well, 105 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: the perpetuals like stocks, meaning that they don't have a maturity. 106 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:09,679 Speaker 1: So if you're comparing them to have their bonds pim 107 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: you would say that it's a perpetual security. They have 108 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: some leverage in them, and the good news for a 109 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: person or an institution. And by the way, I'm in 110 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: talks right now with some of the biggest institutions in 111 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: the world about getting into these um so there's some 112 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:31,239 Speaker 1: leverage in them. But even pre the FED doing something, 113 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: or after the FED doing something, they're still in such 114 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: low interest rates, and the differential between the bond yields 115 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: and the UH leverage is so great I'm not concerned 116 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: about it. UH. And then there also is a question 117 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: of liquidity that I can also report because I do 118 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: business with a lot of very large institutions that there's 119 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: very little liquidity in anything these days. But those would 120 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: be the risks in these uh gurity. So in a 121 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: nut shelf for a novice investor who may not know, 122 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: tell us, okay, in a show, what is a closed 123 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: end bond fund? How does comparison to just a basic 124 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: bond fund, mutual fund? You know, it's put a plain vanilla. 125 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: Is it something that a retail investor can buy easily? 126 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 1: Mark ers is something that you have to work with 127 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: the mark rants of the world to buy. No, you 128 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: can buy it very easily, just like you can buy 129 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: IBM stock. The the the issue here which is the 130 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: same and inequities. You have to know what you're doing. 131 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: You have to do homework. You have to differentiate between 132 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: the bond funds to close down bond funds that look 133 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: attractive and the ones that aren't. So yes, you have 134 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: to know something about these things. But you can buy 135 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: them exactly the same through anyone you want, any broker 136 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: dealers that you want is you would buy an equity. 137 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: What I am looking for here, and even with if 138 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: the Fed does decide to do something in a period 139 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: of incredibly low interest rates, even if you took from 140 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,679 Speaker 1: the beginning of this year to today, the Dad Jones 141 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: is up four and these bond funds are paying over ten. Well, 142 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: I'll take the yield, thank you very much, and I'll 143 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: take a monthly check versus a stock with the dividend 144 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 1: that pays four times a year or a bond that 145 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: pays twice a year. I think this is the absolutely 146 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: best thing in an institution or a person could put 147 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: their money in at the present time. Mark do lingering 148 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: negative interest rates just draw more money into the United States, 149 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: into the very assets that you've described. Yes, and that's 150 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: exactly what I think is going on. You know, Europe 151 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: operates differently than the United States. The government basically puts 152 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: the arm on the institutions over there that manage the 153 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: pension money, manage different things for the governmental entities to 154 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: buy bonds denominated in euros and so forth. However, what's 155 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: taken places with the expansion of the European Central Bank's 156 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: program to buy more corporate bonds as well as sovereign 157 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: debt bonds, and they may even expanded into equities. You're 158 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: seeing the ability of a lot of the European institutions 159 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: now to come to America put money in American securities 160 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: as arguably the safest place to put money, it's certainly 161 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: not the place to get the most yield. Just for 162 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: a comparison for your audience, PIM, the ten year German 163 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: sovereign debt is yielding zero point one four per cent 164 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: and UH that's in comparison PIM to the United States 165 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: tenure Treasury, which is yielding UH closed today at one 166 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: point eight five. And then if you take going into 167 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: corporate yields, which is where I like presently, or some 168 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: of the mortgage yields, you're just picking up a tremendous 169 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: amount of yield over what you can get most of 170 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: the rest of the world. Could you just there, is 171 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:15,679 Speaker 1: there a couple of funds, a couple of names you 172 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: want to throw out to our listeners of an example 173 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:19,959 Speaker 1: of a good closed end bond funds so they can 174 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: start educating themselves and learning more about these vehicles. I 175 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: wish I could. Unfortunately, Kathleen, my compliance department forbids me 176 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: from doing that, and someone would have to get ahold 177 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: of lead for the funds that I like, but I 178 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: can't state them in public. Thank you very much for 179 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,319 Speaker 1: spending time with a smart. Grant is the chief fixed 180 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: and strategist for Hilltop Securities. He's based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 181 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: This is taking Stock on bloom Burke. I'm Pim Fox. 182 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: We've been talking about Janet Yellen and her speech today, 183 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: her conversation rather at Harvard University and Kathleen. It seems 184 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: as though it hasn't really done very much to the 185 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: stock market. It did fall right during her conversation, but 186 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 1: afterwards stock market has come back. SMP five or two 187 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: tenths of a percent down, Jones Industrial Average up one 188 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 1: tenth of a percent. You're listening to taking Stock