American Century's Greenblath Talks Corporate Bonds, Yields

Core Insights - Interest rates have decreased, leading to a changing fixed income landscape where investors are seeking higher yields [1] - Jason Greenblath from American Century Investments highlights the potential in corporate bonds and the advantages of an active fixed income strategy [2][4] Corporate Bond Opportunities - Greenblath emphasizes that despite tight spreads, there are still significant opportunities in the investment-grade universe, which consists of around 8,000 bonds from nearly 800 borrowers [2] - The focus is on short maturity, BB-rated high yield bonds, which can yield mid-single digits, often exceeding 6%, compared to the index yield of 4.75% [3] KORP ETF Strategy - The American Century Diversified Corporate Bond ETF (KORP) actively invests in corporate bonds, charging a fee of 29 basis points, aiming to provide both yield and income [4] - KORP seeks to capture income through newer vintage bonds with attractive coupons of 5% to 7%, which were not issued during the pandemic [4] Investment Approach - KORP's strategy involves a concentrated portfolio with 200 to 300 line items, allowing for deep scrutiny of potential investments, unlike the broader index [3][4] - The ETF can adapt to market conditions and capitalize on specific events related to top borrowers, such as AT&T and JP Morgan, when spreads are expected to tighten [5][6] Portfolio Role - KORP may serve as a core component in investor portfolios, providing corporate exposure while maintaining similar interest rate risk to the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index [7] - The active management of KORP allows it to capture themes that the index may overlook, making it an appealing option for those seeking additional yield [6][8]