Pioneer Manager Likes High-Yield Bonds

Pioneer High-Yield Fund manager Margaret Patel, whose fund has returned 20% so far this year, told Reuters that in spite of the recent sell-off in high-yield bonds, now is the perfect opportunity to buy them. High-yield junk bonds suffered $1.1 billion in net outflows last week, their biggest decline since last September, according to AMG Data Services. Two factors – a glut of junk bond paper hitting the market and investors selling out of Treasuries – put additional downward pressure on junk bonds recently. But Patel believes this increase in inventory should only result in lower prices.

Patel might know what she is talking about. While other investors sold out of ImClone when insider trading charges roiled its chief executive, she kept a level head, looking past the scandalous headlines to the company’s strong balance sheet.

"What’s important is the business position" of companies, Patel told Reuters. "At a time when financial markets were closed to many companies, and banks were very restrictive in their lending, a company that had a liquid balance sheet and wasn’t dependent on going to banks or the credit markets was very appealing."

__
The staff of Money Management Executive ("MME") has prepared these capsule summaries based on reports published by the news sources to which they are attributed. Those news sources are not associated with MME, and have not prepared, sponsored, endorsed, or approved these summaries.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Money Management Executive
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING