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Investment Grade Credit: Be Actively Aware of BBB Bonds

Room for error is narrowing for investments in the lower tiers of the U.S. investment grade corporate bond market.

The U.S. corporate bond market is a massive, diverse asset class that has seen decades of significant growth. In the past four years alone, the market has increased from around $4 trillion to $5.8 trillion. This growth, however, has been accompanied by a steady decrease in overall credit quality. Investors should watch this trend closely, especially when weighing the potential risks and benefits of passive versus active management in their credit portfolios.

Crucially, the share of the U.S. investment grade (IG) nonfinancial bond market that is rated BBB (i.e., the lowest credit rating still considered IG) has increased to 48% in 2017 from around 25% in the 1990s. Drilling down into the riskiest part of the BBB market segment, the universe of low BBB rated bonds is now bigger than that of all BB rated bonds (i.e., the highest-rated speculative grade bonds) combined. (Read our investor education piece on corporate bonds for a quick refresher on credit ratings, issuers, credit spreads, risks and reasons to invest.)
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The Author

Jelle Brons

Portfolio Manager, Global Investment Grade Credit

Lillian Lin

Portfolio Manager, Investment Grade Credit

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Disclosures

Data cited herein has been sourced from J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, unless otherwise stated.

Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results.

Investing in the bond market is subject to risks, including market, interest rate, issuer, credit, inflation risk, and liquidity risk. The value of most bonds and bond strategies are impacted by changes in interest rates. Bonds and bond strategies with longer durations tend to be more sensitive and volatile than those with shorter durations; bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise, and the current low interest rate environment increases this risk. Current reductions in bond counterparty capacity may contribute to decreased market liquidity and increased price volatility. Bond investments may be worth more or less than the original cost when redeemed. Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to factors such as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. All investments contain risk and may lose value.

The credit quality of a particular security or group of securities does not ensure the stability or safety of an overall portfolio. The quality ratings of individual issues/issuers are provided to indicate the credit-worthiness of such issues/issuer and generally range from AAA, Aaa, or AAA (highest) to D, C, or D (lowest) for S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch respectively.

There is no guarantee that these investment strategies will work under all market conditions or are suitable for all investors and each investor should evaluate their ability to invest long-term, especially during periods of downturn in the market. Investors should consult their investment professional prior to making an investment decision.

This material contains the opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. ©2018, PIMCO.