Watch: Freund on 2018 Fixed Income Opportunities and Risks

For an overview of fixed income opportunities at the end of 2017 and a perspective on what’s ahead in 2018, watch our latest video shorts with Matt Freund, Co-CIO and head of Fixed Income Strategies. They’re part of our new Ask the Portfolio Manager series.

Highlights of the interviews follow.

The interesting opportunities, according to Freund, include out-of-favor areas such as retail, pharmaceutical and communications—“these are areas which are very, very dicey, where risk management is crucial but where we think there could be some nice long-term opportunities.” And the team likes “parts of the structured product and loan markets along with parts of the convertible markets, as well.”

Freund comments on several concerns—some of which may not materialize—but, he says, nonetheless require devising strategies in an effort to protect shareholders.

They include:

  • High debt levels around the world. “When you have high levels of debt, it means you have a much smaller margin of safety that a policy mistake or a disruption can amplify.”
  • Inflation. A return of inflation would “force central banks’ hands in a lot of ways and force them to raise rates even though the economies around the world might not be strong enough to do so.”
  • Non-U.S. developments including global central bank policy. “If central banks around the world were to tighten aggressively, we think we would feel it here.”
  • Liquidity. “Whether it’s momentum strategies, whether it’s risk parity strategies, whether it’s some of the short volatility strategies, they all depend upon a buyer being there when they need it and that’s not assured.”

“What impacts the front end of the curve—two or three years—is very different than the long end of the curve out from 10 to 30 years,” Freund explains.

“While the front end of the curve is impacted by Fed policy, the longer end of the curve is dominated by the outlook for inflation and long-term growth expectations, GDP growth…until we see inflation become a problem or growth really achieve its escape velocity, we think the back end of the curve will be surprisingly well behaved,” he says.

Freund lists three differences between Calamos’ active management of fixed income funds and passive funds:

  • Risk. “When we manage portfolios at Calamos, we really focus on the risk we’re taking on our clients’ behalf and we want to make sure we’re well paid for the risks. If you’re a passive investor, you are going to be getting securities because they’re in the index whether they’re risky or not, whether you’ve paid for the risk or not.”
  • The composition of the indices. “On the equity side, most equity indices are capitalization-weighted—the larger the companies, the larger the share of the index. So large successful companies, very competitive, world-class companies have a greater share of the index. On the fixed income side, it’s the opposite. You have the most exposure to the most irresponsible borrowers, the ones that are in the market all the time.”
  • The changing nature of the indices. Indices change over time. “I’ve been in the business since the late 1980s,” says Freund. “Back then, [government bonds] and agencies were less than half of the broad indices. Now they’re just under 70%. I’m not sure that you should change your outlook and your criteria just because the underlining index changes.”

The bond market isn’t “one single monolithic homogenous sort of market,” Freund says. Investors have a choice between maturities, currencies, structures, rates and options, among other differences.

“There are three broad types of fixed income managers,” according to Freund. “There are the very low tracking error—the closet indexers of the world. There are the bigger macro players, that’s the second group. And then there’s the third group and that’s us where we really focus on understanding risks, doing fundamental research, and building portfolios one security at a time.”

Freund describes the team’s contrarian approach. “You can be early to a trade or you can be late…What you’ll see us do is once we’ve identified themes and companies and securities that we like, we will generally lag into them slowly but we will be buying on the way down and sometimes it’s painful.

“But, what we found is that leads to strong returns over time,” says Freund.

Financial advisors, for more information about our approach to fixed income or about Calamos Total Return Bond Fund or Calamos High Income Opportunities Fund, talk to a Calamos Investment Consultant at 888-571-2567 or email caminfo@calamos.com.




    Before investing carefully consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Please see the prospectus and summary prospectus containing this and other information which can be obtained by calling 1-866-363-9219. Read it carefully before investing.

    Videos recorded 11/30/17.

    Opinions and estimates offered constitute our judgment and are subject to change without notice, as are statements of financial market trends, which are based on current market conditions. We believe the information provided here is reliable, but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. The opinions and views of third parties do not represent the opinions or views of Calamos Investments LLC. Opinions are subject to change due to changes in the market, economic conditions or changes in the legal and/or regulatory environment and may not necessarily come to pass. This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax, legal, or investment advice. References to specific securities, asset classes and financial markets are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as, recommendations.

    Fixed income securities entail interest rate risk. High yield securities are also subject to increased credit risk and liquidity risk.

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    Archived material may contain dated performance, risk and other information. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted in the archived material. For the most recent month-end performance information, please CLICK HERE. Archived material may contain dated opinions and estimates based on our judgment and are subject to change without notice, as are statements of financial market trends, which are based on current market conditions at the time of publishing. We believed the information provided here was reliable, but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice. References to future returns are not promises or even estimates of actual returns a client portfolio may achieve. Any forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be relied upon as advice or interpreted as a recommendation.

    Performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. The principal value and return of an investment will fluctuate so that your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflected at NAV does not include the Fund’s maximum front-end sales load. Had it been included, the Fund’s return would have been lower. For the most recent month-end fund performance information visit www.calamos.com.

    Archived material may contain dated performance, risk and other information. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted in the archived material. For the most recent month-end fund performance information visit www.calamos.com. Archived material may contain dated opinions and estimates based on our judgment and are subject to change without notice, as are statements of financial market trends, which are based on current market conditions at the time of publishing. We believed the information provided here was reliable, but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice. References to future returns are not promises or even estimates of actual returns a client portfolio may achieve. Any forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be relied upon as advice or interpreted as a recommendation.

    Performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. The principal value and return of an investment will fluctuate so that your shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflected at NAV does not include the Fund’s maximum front-end sales load. Had it been included, the Fund’s return would have been lower.

    Archived on December 21, 2018