VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL) is downgraded to 'Hold' due to historically tight BB spreads after a strong 2025 performance. ANGL's portfolio is 78% BB-rated bonds, emphasizing safer high yield, with sector concentration in consumer cyclical, basic materials, and technology. The ETF's 2025 total return exceeds 8%, but current risk/reward is unattractive as spreads are near historic lows, limiting further upside.
High-yield corporate bond ETFs provide investors with strong yields, albeit somewhat elevated credit risk. There are lots of high-yield bond ETFs available to investors. Some with higher yields, some with better performance track-records, some focusing on more niche areas of the market. A quick overview of five of these follows. ETFs include simple, cheap vanilla ETFs, smart beta ETFs, and those targeting niche, best-performing bonds.
ANGL invests in high-yield bonds that were formerly investment-grade, offering attractive yields but with elevated risk from recent downgrades. Large portfolio concentrations in Celanese and Nissan heighten risk, as further credit deterioration in these firms could significantly impact ANGL's performance. While ANGL offers a competitive 6.28% yield and low fees, alternative ETFs like FALN have outperformed with similar cost structures.
The ongoing trade war has led to a massive increase in uncertainty and bearish sentiment. Credit spreads have widened as a result, going from their lowest levels in history, to solidly above-average. Investing in high-yield corporate bond funds seems like an easy way to profit from these changes.
Fallen Angel Investing involves buying recently downgraded bonds for higher returns, but current market conditions make VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF less attractive. ANGL offers a 6.27% yield with a low expense ratio and high liquidity, but its risk profile includes a high standard deviation and max drawdown. Rising interest rates and a low yield spread between corporate and treasury bonds reduce the attractiveness of ANGL compared to safer treasury bonds.
ANGL is a high-yield bond ETF focusing on fallen angels. The fund's strategy, track-record, and comparatively strong credit quality, make it stand out from the pack. It is one of my top picks in this space, and a buy.
The largest bond ETFs are almost exclusively index funds focusing on the broader bond market, or on specific bond sub-asset classes. These ETFs are reasonable investments, but investors can do much better than reasonable. Lots of ETFs offer higher yields, returns, and risk-adjusted returns than these larger ETFs, with extra advantages to boot.
VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF holds below investment grade bonds initially rated investment grade, offering a 6.32% SEC yield. ANGL has outperformed other high-yield bond ETFs over the past decade, but its price has lagged behind inflation and distribution shows an 8% decay. Competitor iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF has recently outperformed ANGL.
A strong economy and falling interest rates have been a great combination for investors in high-yield bonds.
The 'Undercovered' Dozen ETF edition highlights less covered ETFs, focusing on seven in-depth analyses and five brief mentions, from articles published between August 15th and September 16th. The Invesco Russell 1000 Dynamic Multifactor ETF (OMFL) has shown volatility but is stabilizing; patience is advised by The Sunday Investor as its high-quality selections might perform well. The SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) offers a 4.07% yield but lacks complexity according to MacroGirl; consider alternatives like PEY.
I have been a high-yield bond skeptic for nearly 30 years, but recently initiated a small position in this "fallen angels" high-yield bond ETF. Fallen angels refer to bonds that were once investment grade but have been downgraded to junk status. ANGL fits my proprietary YARP™ methodology, which is typically applied to stocks but works for many ETFs as well. I see potential for total return and a contrarian buying opportunity.
While ETF popularity continues to grow, education remains key. Some advisors and investors use ETFs along with mutual funds or individual securities.