CMG AdvisorCentral

Tactical investing news, views and resources for financial advisors

TwitterGoogle+Linkedin
  • Blog
    • Contributors
  • Advisor Resources
  • About CMG
    • Sitemap
  • Events
You are here: Home / Fixed Income / Blumenthal On Bonds

Blumenthal On Bonds

Posted on 11.25.14 |

1977 Treasury BondBy Steve Blumenthal, CIO
CMG Capital Management Group

Trend following process moved us from HY
to very short-term bond exposure last week

For more than 22 years I’ve been trading the intermediate-term trends in the high yield market. I wake up each day, grab a coffee and sit in my favorite chair. With laptop online, the first thing I do is look at the prior day’s high yield bond mutual funds’ closing prices – it’s a pretty long list. Do anything for that long a period of time and you gain a feel for trend. Of course, my wife looks over and says, “Looking at charts again.” It has remained so interesting to me. I know – I need to get a life.

Anyway, I’ve been warning on the coming default wave in high yield and I can say with some confidence that high yield is usually one of the first asset classes to warn of recession. Though, of course, past performance means zilcho in this business.

Our trend following process moved us from HY to very short-term bond exposure this past week. Much of the weakness is tied to the price of oil as a meaningful percentage of high yield bonds are tied to the energy sector. Yet, more than $1 trillion of new money has flowed into the space over the last five years. Investors are seeking higher returns due to six years of zero bound interest rates and trillions in Fed-related QE bond buying driving yields to near all time lows.

So it is a good idea to remember that, “A safe investment is an investment whose dangers are not at that moment apparent.” That is particularly true for high yield today. It is also true for stocks yet both could continue even higher.

Will this be the high yield market sell signal that we look back on that identified an inflection point? I doubt it but I can tell you we’ll only know in hindsight. Today, more than any time I recall in my 30 plus years in the business: risk management is mandatory.

Read the rest of the story and important disclosures in On My Radar: Purgatory and Bubbles

Steve Blumenthal, CEO, CMG Capital Management Group

Steve Blumenthal is CEO and Chief Investment Officer of CMG Capital Management Group. CMG manages tactical portfolios and strategies for advisors, individuals, and institutions. The objective behind all of Mr. Blumenthal’s work is to help advisors build better portfolios by allocating with a long-term game plan that is risk sensitive and properly diversified. Mr. Blumenthal is a self-proclaimed “quant geek,” with an analytical mind for the markets that helps him connect with everyday investors and industry experts alike. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Categories: Fixed Income, Portfolio Construction Tags: Bonds, high yield, Investment Grade Bonds, Steve Blumenthal

Top Posts

  • Building A Hunker Down ETF Portfolio - Blumenthal at Barron's
  • Blumenthal in WSJ on Valuations And Forward Returns
  • CMG's Total Portfolio Solution Whitepaper Free Download
  • CMG Adopts GIPS Standards Verified By Ashland Partners
  • Charting The New Bull Market in Gold - Blumenthal in Forbes

Categories

  • CMG News
  • Conferences
  • Equities
  • Fixed Income
  • Global Economy
  • Market Snapshot
  • Marketing
  • Monetary Policy
  • Portfolio Construction
  • Practice Management
  • Tactical Investment Strategies
  • top posts

Archives

Browse the blog A-Z

CMG CAPITAL MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC. • 1000 Continental Drive, Suite 570 • King of Prussia, PA 19406 • P:610.989.9090 • E:advisors@cmgwealth.com

©2018 Capital Management Group, Inc, All Rights Reserved

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by CMG Capital Management Group, Inc (or any of its related entities-together "CMG") will be profitable, equal any historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. No portion of the content should be construed as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. References to specific securities, investment programs or funds are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as recommendations to purchase or sell such securities.
Certain portions of the content may contain a discussion of, and/or provide access to, opinions and/or recommendations of CMG (and those of other investment and non-investment professionals) as of a specific prior date. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, such discussion may no longer be reflective of current recommendations or opinions. Derivatives and options strategies are not suitable for every investor, may involve a high degree of risk, and may be appropriate investments only for sophisticated investors who are capable of understanding and assuming the risks involved. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained herein serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from CMG or the professional advisors of your choosing. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisors of his/her choosing. CMG is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the newsletter content should be construed as legal or accounting advice.
This presentation does not discuss, directly or indirectly, the amount of the profits or losses, realized or unrealized, by any CMG client from any specific funds or securities. Please note: In the event that CMG references performance results for an actual CMG portfolio, the results are reported net of advisory fees and inclusive of dividends. The performance referenced is that as determined and/or provided directly by the referenced funds and/or publishers, have not been independently verified, and do not reflect the performance of any specific CMG client. CMG clients may have experienced materially different performance based upon various factors during the corresponding time periods.
Hypothetical Presentations: To the extent that any portion of the content reflects hypothetical results that were achieved by means of the retroactive application of a back-tested model, such results have inherent limitations, including: (1) the model results do not reflect the results of actual trading using client assets, but were achieved by means of the retroactive application of the referenced models, certain aspects of which may have been designed with the benefit of hindsight; (2) back-tested performance may not reflect the impact that any material market or economic factors might have had on the adviser’s use of the model if the model had been used during the period to actually mange client assets; and, (3) CMG’s clients may have experienced investment results during the corresponding time periods that were materially different from those portrayed in the model. Please Also Note: Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Therefore, no current or prospective client should assume that future performance will be profitable, or equal to any corresponding historical index. (i.e. S&P 500 Total Return or Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. 5000 Total Market Index) is also disclosed. For example, the S&P 500 Composite Total Return Index (the “S&P”) is a market capitalization-weighted index of 500 widely held stocks often used as a proxy for the stock market. Standard & Poor’s chooses the member companies for the S&P based on market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. Included are the common stocks of industrial, financial, utility, and transportation companies. The historical performance results of the S&P (and those of or all indices) and the model results do not reflect the deduction of transaction and custodial charges, nor the deduction of an investment management fee, the incurrence of which would have the effect of decreasing indicated historical performance results. For example, the deduction combined annual advisory and transaction fees of 1.00% over a 10 year period would decrease a 10% gross return to an 8.9% net return. The S&P is not an index into which an investor can directly invest. The historical S&P performance results (and those of all other indices) are provided exclusively for comparison purposes only, so as to provide general comparative information to assist an individual in determining whether the performance of a specific portfolio or model meets, or continues to meet, his/her investment objective(s). A corresponding description of the other comparative indices, are available from CMG upon request. It should not be assumed that any CMG holdings will correspond directly to any such comparative index. The model and indices performance results do not reflect the impact of taxes. CMG portfolios may be more or less volatile than the reflective indices and/or models.
In the event that there has been a change in an individual's investment objective or financial situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with his/her investment professionals.
Written Disclosure Statement. CMG is an SEC registered investment adviser principally located in King of Prussia, PA. Stephen B. Blumenthal is CMG's founder and CEO. Please note: The above views are those of CMG and its CEO, Stephen Blumenthal, and do not reflect those of any sub-advisor that CMG may engage to manage any CMG strategy. A copy of CMG's current written disclosure statement discussing advisory services and fees is available upon request or via CMG's internet web site at (http://www.cmgwealth.com/disclosures/advs).