Zheshang Securities(SH:601878) ZHESHANG SECURITIES·2026-01-09 13:50Core Insights - The report emphasizes that the construction of negative duration portfolios for public bond funds is influenced by three main factors: "allowance in fund contract investment scope," "regulatory framework," and "trading convenience" [3][13][28] - It identifies government bond futures as the most commonly used and convenient tool for achieving negative duration in the current market [3][28] - The anticipated steepening of the Chinese bond yield curve in 2026, characterized by "stable short-end and rising long-end rates," suggests that negative duration funds should be considered for investment strategies [1][6] Group 1: Real-World Significance of Negative Duration Strategy - The current domestic bond market is experiencing a phase of differentiated interest rate structures and increased volatility, presenting challenges for traditional bond investment strategies [2][11] - The negative duration strategy, which combines "high liquidity short-term asset allocation with interest rate derivatives hedging," can help stabilize net asset values during rising interest rate phases [2][12] - This strategy focuses on short-term high liquidity assets, mitigating the liquidity risks associated with long-duration assets, and serves as a reserve strategy to enhance overall risk resilience [2][12] Group 2: Considerations for Constructing Negative Duration Portfolios - The report outlines three key considerations for public bond funds using derivatives to construct negative duration portfolios: fund contract investment scope, regulatory framework, and trading convenience [3][13] - Fund contracts must explicitly include terms like "government bond futures" and "credit derivatives" to allow for their use; otherwise, funds are restricted from employing these derivatives [14] - Regulatory documents specifically govern public funds' participation in government bond futures, while there are no direct regulatory constraints for other derivatives like interest rate swaps [17][21] Group 3: Insights from Overseas Negative Duration Funds - The report references two notable negative duration funds in the U.S.: AGND and HYND, which were designed to perform well during rising interest rate environments [4][35] - AGND targets a duration of -5 years and employs a strategy of long positions in a broad bond index while shorting various maturities of U.S. Treasuries [4][29] - HYND, on the other hand, focuses on high-yield bonds with a target duration of -7 years, combining short positions in government bond futures with long positions in short-duration high-yield bonds [35][44] Group 4: Development Opportunities for Negative Duration Public Bond Funds in China - The potential audience for negative duration public bond funds in China includes institutional investors such as bank wealth management products and insurance asset management products that require interest rate hedging [6][45] - The report recommends a high-yield negative duration strategy for 2026, suggesting long positions in AA+ credit bonds with maturities of 2 years or less, while shorting ultra-long bonds to capitalize on the anticipated steepening of the yield curve [6][46]