iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corp Bd ETF | HYG |
by Lan Anh Tran
IShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF provides broad exposure to US high-yield corporate bonds. But difficulties trading these bonds limit its breadth and hamper the advantages of its market-value-weighted portfolio. The fund tracks the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index, which holds the most-liquid portion of the US high-yield corporate-bond market. Eligible bonds must have at least $400 million in outstanding face value and 1.5 years remaining until maturity. There’s also an issuer-level minimum outstanding face value threshold. The index excludes certain types of bonds, including those with equity and convertible features, floating-rate notes, and bonds from emerging-market issuers. It weights bonds by their market value, subject to a 3% cap on issuers’ weighting in the index. The resulting portfolio holds a broad and diversified slice of the US high-yield bond market. However, a broad indexing approach leaves much to be desired. The wide return dispersion among the lowest-rated bonds puts it at a disadvantage relative to its Morningstar Category peers. Active managers with more flexibility and sound credit research can use more discretion with riskier bonds to better exploit those that are mispriced. Some managers may take on a small stake in bonds rated BBB to cushion the portfolio during credit shocks. The index has some shortcomings. It leaves out the less-liquid portion of the market to alleviate transaction costs, but this limits its opportunity set. And market-value weighting tilts the fund toward the most indebted issuers. Recent fee cuts from other passive high-yield bond funds make the fund’s 0.49% annual fee less attractive, though it still lands in the cheapest quintile of its category. Despite being cheaper than average, it has struggled to consistently outperform the category average. |
Morningstar Pillars | |
Pessoas | Above Average |
Parent | Above Average |
Processo | Below Average |