Posts belonging to Category Bonds



Be Careful When Considering Municipal Bonds

 

A recent Wall Street Journal column advises money managers not to put more client money in municipal bonds. The column sets forth a number of risks and problems that it urged money managers to consider before placing clients’ money in these investments. First, municipal bonds’ tax-exempt status may be in political jeopardy (“Morning Call: Advisers […]

Bond Market – ‘Irrational Exuberance?’

 

Recent warnings regarding dangers in the bond market were recently issued by bond maestro Bill Gross. These warnings are reminiscent of Alan Greenspan’s implicit warning in a 1996 speech when he asked: “How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions?”  Specifically, Mr. […]

Low Yields Push Investors into Very Risky Alternatives

 

The financial world continues to beat the drum warning investors about the risk of bonds.  When interest rates rise (or when the market believes a significant rise in interest rates is imminent) bond prices will fall, and investors in bond funds and individual bonds will suffer declines in value and/or losses.  Retirees and others, who […]

Bond Warning Issued by FINRA

 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has finally joined the crowd in warning investors about the risks of bonds and bond funds in the current environment. If FINRA is worried about bonds, the end may be near. FINRA may be late in warning investors about bond and bond fund risks say financial advisers, but investors […]

Bubbles are Plentiful in the Investment Markets

 

Experts are seeing signs of bubbles in stocks, bonds and farmland.  This froth is basically the result of the Federal Reserve’s policy of credit easing – implemented primarily by its purchase of Treasuries and mortgage securities, which lowers interest rates and drives investors into riskier assets. The Fed’s primary reason for doing this is to […]

Are Municipal Bonds Headed for a ‘Train Wreck?’

 

CNNMoney’s well-respected senior editor-at-large, Allan Sloan, has a warning for municipal bond investors ? look out below, because even investment grade municipal bonds are mega-inflated by lighter-than-air interest rates and are sure to pop when interest rates (and tax rates) rise. Repeat: high grade munis, he says, are at risk (“Municipal bonds: A train wreck […]

More Experts View Bonds as High Risk

 

Many experts believe that fixed income has become a high-risk asset class, more so than at any time in recent years. Demand has pushed bond prices way up and yields way down. Bond sales for 2012 are expected to break the 2009 record of $1.024 trillion. Investors’ average allocation to fixed income is 26%, double […]

Morgan Stanley Advises Investors to Sell Junk Bonds

 

Record low yields on junk bonds have led Morgan Stanley to downgrade them and advise investors to reduce their holdings. Even in good economic times, junk bond are riskier than investment grade bonds and are supposed to pay significantly more interest as a risk premium. However, today’s weak economy increases the risk of default by […]

Page Perry Pursuing Church Bond Loss Claims

 

Page Perry announces that it is investigating instances where church bonds were improperly sold to members of the investing public. Recently the firm has been approached by investors whom sustained devastating losses as a result of investing in church bonds and has found an array of misconduct by the sellers ranging from outright fraud to […]

The Risks of Junk Bonds Grow

 

The Federal Reserve’s recent announcement of the new stimulus package has resulted in another stampede by investors into higher-risk high-yield (junk) bonds. Inflows into junk bond funds were the second highest ever and the highest for this year. Even lower grade borrowers are selling junk notes in the U.S. at an “unprecedented pace” (“Junk-Bond Fund […]