A persistently strong U.S. dollar tempered the gains for emerging markets (EM) assets in 2024. But investors were still attracted to the riskier corners of the EM bond market.
With a new U.S. presidential administration coming in 2025, the uncertainty of the impact on emerging markets (EM) assets appears to be causing investors to head for the exits on EM equities. Bonds, on the other hand, appear to remain resilient.
BNDX offers broad global bond market exposure at a low expense ratio. It has a diversified portfolio of thousands of investment-grade bonds and hedges currency risk. While it introduces political risk, its superior performance, high yield, and diversification quality make it a good addition.
BNDX offers robust exposure to foreign bonds, focusing on stable segments of the yield curve, particularly with a 5-10 year duration. The ETF's major holdings include Japanese JGBs and French OATs, with Japan's bond market showing stability and France facing potential credit rating risks. Despite the risks, BNDX's diversified structure and current yield of 4.79% make it a compelling investment with strong long-term growth potential.
International bonds offer ingress into debt issue diversification overseas, but some caution is warranted given that a U.S. election is forthcoming. As such, it may be best to stick with developed markets, but the bold can always consider emerging markets to appease their risk appetite.
Q3 saw strong returns for bonds across the board, opening up opportunities in various types of bonds. From international bonds to core-plus options, investors have a plethora of choices, including a few from Vanguard.
BNDX tracks the global bond market excluding the US, offering geographic diversification and exposure to government and corporate bonds. The ETF has a low expense ratio, good dividend yield, and is hedged against currency fluctuations, making it a suitable investment option. European and Japanese bond markets show positive growth prospects, with potential for capital gains due to central bank interest rate decisions.
There could be a heavy dose of volatility for emerging markets (EM) bonds in the second half of the year as issuance slows down in addition to political risks. Still, getting yield in the current market environment remains a selling point for EM bonds.
Opportunistic fixed income investors may want to take a look at a pair of international bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) if they haven't already— the Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF (VWOB) and the Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BNDX).
Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund ETF Shares (BNDX) is a low-risk investment that has the potential for capital appreciation. BNDX holds a diversified portfolio of low-risk governmental and corporate bonds outside the United States, mainly in Europe and Japan. BNDX has a low expense ratio of 0.07% and has experienced a positive flow of $3B in the past three months.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi's Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” The pair talked about several topics regarding the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
VettaFi's Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) on this week's “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” For more news, information, and strategy, visit the Fixed Income Channel.