Market Overview - The bond market remains unclear, with long-term interest rates showing a V-shaped trend, indicating a state of stagnation where rates neither rise nor fall significantly[1] - From July 14-18, the 10-year government bond yield decreased to 1.66% (-0.2bp), while the 30-year bond yield fell to 1.87% (-0.3bp)[9] Funding Conditions - During the major tax payment week, interbank overnight and 7-day funding rates reached temporary highs of 1.57% and 1.58%, raising concerns about the sustainability of a loose monetary environment[2] - The net payment of government bonds during this period was 428.8 billion yuan, contributing to a significant funding gap[20] Market Sentiment - Recent increases in market risk appetite are reflected in the rising financing balance in the stock market, with new funds continuously entering[3] - The expectation of policy support has strengthened, particularly with recent favorable signals from U.S. officials regarding tariffs on China[3] Investment Strategy - Given the current market conditions, institutions are advised to maintain a cautious approach, avoiding aggressive duration increases while closely following market trends[4] - The bond market may develop in two directions: a potential steepening of the yield curve driven by short-term rate declines and a focus on coupon income as funding rates decrease[30] Risk Factors - Potential risks include unexpected adjustments in monetary policy, liquidity changes, and fiscal policy shifts that could impact market stability[5]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the evolution of fixed income investment strategies at Debon Fund under the leadership of Zou Zhou, emphasizing the importance of adapting to changing market conditions and the need for precise liquidity management to optimize returns for investors [1][2][6]. Investment Strategy - Zou Zhou has developed a diversified fixed income product matrix, covering various types of bonds including low volatility, medium volatility, and dual bonds, which has proven resilient through extreme market conditions [1][2]. - The investment strategy for products like Debon Short Bond and Debon Rui Xing Bond focuses on using credit bonds for stable coupon income while leveraging more liquid interest rate bonds for capital gains [1][4]. - The approach to portfolio management includes adjusting the structure and timing of credit and interest rate bonds to meet different risk-return profiles of investors [4][8]. Market Adaptation - Zou Zhou emphasizes the necessity of continuously updating investment knowledge in response to market changes, particularly in a low interest rate environment where traditional investment logic may no longer apply [2][3]. - The shift in market dynamics has led to a preference for long-end interest rates over short-end rates, which were previously considered safer but have shown negative carry [2][3]. Liquidity Management - Effective liquidity management is crucial, especially for open-ended funds, as it directly impacts investment operations [5]. - Zou Zhou's strategy involves maintaining sufficient liquidity to capitalize on market mispricings and ensuring that the portfolio can withstand fluctuations in the market [5][8]. Technical Analysis - The incorporation of technical analysis into investment decision-making has increased, allowing for better timing and positioning in the market [7][8]. - The current market sentiment is cautiously optimistic, with expectations of continued support from monetary policy, which is seen as a key factor for maintaining a bullish outlook on the bond market [7][8]. Product Development - Debon Fund's fixed income product line has evolved into a multi-strategy framework, aiming to cater to various investor preferences through differentiated risk-return profiles [8]. - The team is committed to enhancing the precision of product management to improve the overall investor experience [8].

Group 1 - The simulated portfolio's returns have declined this week, with credit style portfolios experiencing smaller drawdowns compared to interest rate style portfolios. The weekly returns for the industrial ultra-long and municipal short-end sinking strategies were -0.1% and -0.13% respectively [2][14] - In the credit style portfolio, the industrial ultra-long and broker debt sinking strategies were among the few that still had positive returns, recording 0.1% and 0.03% respectively [2][15] - The average weekly return for the credit style time deposit heavy combination fell to -0.01%, with a controllable decline compared to the previous week. The short-duration combinations demonstrated strong volatility resistance [2][17] Group 2 - The coupon income from municipal heavy strategies has dropped to a low point, making it difficult to cover weekly capital gains losses. Most municipal heavy combinations have seen their annualized coupon income fall below 1.9% [3][24] - The coupon contributions from the credit style combinations have generally turned negative, particularly for the municipal dumbbell and secondary debt duration strategies, which fell into the -35% to -30% range [3][24] Group 3 - In the past four weeks, broker debt strategies have gained favor, with cumulative excess returns for broker debt duration, municipal dumbbell, and broker debt sinking strategies at 18.5bp, 15.6bp, and 12.4bp respectively [4][28] - The broker debt duration strategy has achieved a cumulative return of 1.92% since the second quarter, ranking just below the municipal dumbbell strategy, which is around 1.98% [4][28] - Short-duration strategies have outperformed the mid-to-long-term benchmarks, with the municipal short-end sinking strategy exceeding the mid-to-long-term benchmark by the largest margin since May [4][30]

Group 1: Portfolio Strategy Performance Tracking - The simulated portfolio returns have rebounded, with significant increases in credit positions. The industrial ultra-long and secondary ultra-long strategy combinations in the interest rate style portfolio both recorded returns around 0.15% [2][14] - In the credit style portfolio, the industrial ultra-long and secondary ultra-long strategy combinations achieved returns of 0.41% each, leading the performance [2][15] - The weekly average return of the credit style time deposit heavy combination rose to 0.14%, an increase of 9.3 basis points compared to the previous week, while the city investment heavy combination's average weekly return increased to 0.23%, up over 20 basis points from last week [2][18] Group 2: Sources of Returns - The interest income from various strategy combinations has slightly rebounded, with most strategies showing an increase in interest income. The city investment short-end sinking and secondary debt sinking strategies saw interest income increases of approximately 0.04 basis points [3][27] - The annualized interest income for most combinations remains below 2%, except for the city investment short-end sinking and barbell combinations, which are still above 1.95% [3][27] - The contribution of interest income in credit style combinations generally falls within the range of 10% to 25%, with capital gains being the primary source of returns, particularly for the city investment bullet-type and secondary debt duration combinations, where interest contributions dropped to around 13% [3][27] Group 3: Credit Strategy Excess Return Tracking - Over the past four weeks, the cumulative excess return difference between duration strategies and sinking strategies has widened. The cumulative excess returns for city investment barbell, city investment duration, and broker debt duration strategy combinations were 33.6 basis points, 7.4 basis points, and 5.8 basis points, respectively [4][31] - The excess returns for short-end strategies have decreased, with the time deposit strategy dropping to around -1.6 basis points, while the city investment sinking strategy slightly surpassed the benchmark [4][34] - The excess returns for ultra-long strategies have rebounded to levels seen in early June, with the secondary ultra-long strategy combination's excess return rising to over 17 basis points this week, contrasting with the negative readings from the previous three weeks [4][34]

Report Information - Report Title: What are the Patterns in Credit Bond Transactions in the Past Year? — One of the Series on Analyzing Bonds through Volatility [1] - Analyst: Du Jian, CFA from Zheshang Fixed Income [1] - Date: June 27, 2025 [1] 1. Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the given content 2. Report's Core View - The report analyzes the indicators for observing secondary - market credit bond transactions and the patterns in credit bond transactions over the past year, including increased preference for second - tier and perpetual (二永) bonds, reduced sustainability of the duration strategy, the potential of the deviation of 二永 bonds from valuation in trading as a leading indicator of yields, and increased selling pressure on long - duration credit bonds during adjustments [3][4] 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Through which indicators to observe credit bond secondary transactions? - "Price" indicators: Broker transactions can collect a large amount of market trading information. After filtering out invalid quotes, they provide the best price to customers, reflecting comprehensive price information. Suitable for constructing price indicators such as trading deviation, trading yield, and high - valuation trading ratio [4][8] - "Volume" indicators: Traders use brokers to find prices and trading counterparts and then complete transactions on the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) or exchange platforms. Platform transactions can fully reflect the specific scale of trading volume, suitable for constructing volume indicators such as trading duration and turnover rate [4][8] 3.2成交规律一：对二永债的偏好大幅提升 - Since July 2024, the trading activity of credit bonds has significantly increased compared to previous years, with the increase in trading volume mainly in 二永 bonds. The reasons are that 二永 bonds are interest - rate amplifiers, facilitating capital gain speculation in a strong downward - interest - rate market, and investors prefer 二永 bonds for their better liquidity during market adjustments. Investors' preference is mainly concentrated on state - owned and joint - stock bank 二永 bonds [12] 3.3成交规律二：久期策略持续性降低 - Since August 2024, long - duration credit bonds have shown a "fast - up - fast - down" pattern, with liquidity issues during corrections. They failed to provide stable excess returns as in 2023 - H1 2024. The trading duration centers of urban investment bonds, industrial bonds, and 二永 bonds have remained at 2.5 years, 3 years, and 3.5 years respectively [13] 3.4成交规律二：近期机构对于城投、产业拉久期诉求高于二永 - In recent duration strategies, the market has focused on extending the duration of medium - and high - grade urban investment and industrial bonds, while the trading duration of state - owned and joint - stock bank 二永 bonds has not significantly increased. This is because the trading duration of 二永 bonds is already high, and the market also wants to balance coupon income. Since March, the yield of short - duration credit bonds has dropped too fast, and since June, it has been difficult for institutions to obtain short - term bonds with a yield above 2%, leading to passive extension of duration to make up for the lack of coupon income [17][18][19] 3.5成交规律三：二永债偏离估值成交幅度或可视作收益率领先指标 - The trading deviation of 二永 bonds from valuation generally leads credit bond yields by 1 - 3 trading days. In the past year, this indicator led the turning points of credit bond yields on September 26, 2024, October 9, 2024, and January 2 - 3, 2025 [25] 3.6成交规律四：调整期间长久期信用债抛售压力加大 - Since 2024, long - duration credit bonds have seen their liquidity issues magnified during market adjustments, with a significantly higher trading deviation than short - duration credit bonds. In 2023, the trading deviation of 二永 bonds across all durations was around 1bp, and the average trading price of general credit bonds over 5 years was even 0.5bp lower than the valuation. In 2024, the high - valuation trading ratio of long - term bonds was higher than that of short - term bonds [29][31][37]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the report highlights the unexpected strong performance of long-term credit bonds, with the China Bond 10-year and above implied AA+ full price index increasing by 0.9% in the past week and 1.5% for the month [2][12] - The report identifies four key characteristics of the current long-term credit bond trading: accelerated allocation pace, significant decline in transaction yields, strong performance of 20 to 30-year bonds, and increased trading volume [3][16] - The report notes that as of June 20, 63% of credit bonds with a maturity of over one year are concentrated at yields below 2%, compared to 59% at the beginning of January, indicating a need for mid to long-term asset allocation to achieve yields above 2% [4][46] Group 2 - The report discusses the different triggers for market performance in the interbank and exchange markets, with insurance and funds being the main net buyers of credit bonds over 7 years, and funds showing a significant increase in net buying [4][47] - The report emphasizes that the rapid decline in yields raises concerns, including the proximity of various bond yields to their annual lows, the lack of comparative advantage for long-term credit bonds against government bonds, and the increasing contribution of capital gains to overall returns [5][56] - The report suggests that while the short-term performance of credit bonds over 7 years is strong, the high demands on trading capabilities and the underlying market fragility necessitate a cautious approach, recommending a focus on 3-year city investment bonds for better opportunities [5][31]

Group 1 - The report indicates that the simulated portfolio performance remains mixed, with most strategies showing reduced returns except for some credit style portfolios. The city investment long-term and secondary long-term strategies achieved returns of 0.2% and 0.15% respectively [2][14] - In terms of heavy-weighted bond types, credit bond-heavy strategies generally outperformed interest rate bond-heavy portfolios. The average weekly return for credit style time deposit-heavy strategies decreased by 0.7 basis points, while the city investment heavy-weighted portfolio's average weekly return fell to 0.15%, a decline of 4.3 basis points from the previous week [2][18] - The cumulative investment returns for the city investment dumbbell strategy were -0.12% in Q1 and 1.85% in Q2 to date, indicating it is one of the more balanced strategies this year [2][18] Group 2 - The report highlights that the cumulative excess returns for duration strategies have outperformed sinking strategies over the past four weeks. The cumulative excess returns for the city investment dumbbell, broker debt duration, and city investment duration strategies were 45.7 basis points, 17.3 basis points, and 11.5 basis points respectively [4][30] - The report notes that the sinking strategies generally underperformed compared to duration strategies in the past month, with financial bond-heavy portfolios lacking aggressive attributes [4][30] - The report also states that the excess returns for short-end strategies are lacking, with the city investment sinking strategy's excess return significantly narrowing, and the time deposit strategy's return deviating from the benchmark by only 1 basis point [4][30]

Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. Core View of the Report - Leverage can be more aggressive, and positions can be heavier. The certainty of loose funds allows for a more active leverage strategy, and a heavier position can increase bargaining chips in subsequent market games [2][3][17]. - The growth of financing is mainly from the government sector, and the gap between deposit and loan growth rates is still being repaired. The risk of the bank's liability side has been significantly alleviated, reducing the risk of liquidity tightening [2][9]. - The two operations of the repurchase agreement mainly aim to reduce uncertainty, and the change in the scale of medium - and long - term liquidity injection this month may be small [2][11]. - The downward breakthrough of the overnight price center is related to the recovery of the large banks' lending capacity, and the downward trend of the capital price center has not reached its end [2][13]. - Seasonal fluctuations in capital prices will still exist. In the first and middle of July, capital prices may continue the downward trend, and the capital market may return to a stable and loose state [3][15]. Summary by Directory 1 Leverage can be more aggressive - **Previous Views Summary** - There is a possibility that the capital market will be more loosely liquid than expected. There is a chance that the capital price center will be below 1.4%. - The reasonable pricing center for the NCD of state - owned and joint - stock banks after the decline of capital prices in the future may be 1.6%. Currently, 1.7% is too high, and it has obvious allocation value, but it is difficult for the CD interest rate to decline significantly in June. - The main line of the bond market is the downward repair of liability costs and the return repair of position losses, which requires time. After the interest rate reaches a relatively low level, trading often fluctuates between "anticipating the market" and "falling behind" [8]. - **Financing and Credit Situation** - In May, credit growth was still weak. Corporate sector credit increased less year - on - year, and the long - term credit of the household sector showed a stable trend. Corporate sector bond financing increased slightly year - on - year, possibly related to the opening of the bond technology board. Government bonds increased by 236.7 billion year - on - year, and the growth of financing still relied on the government sector [9]. - **Function of Repurchase Agreement Operations** - The two operations of the repurchase agreement this month totaled an injection of 1.4 trillion, but considering the possible 1.2 trillion maturity in the same month, the net injection scale for the whole month is not large. The MLF and the repurchase agreement are currently in a relatively balanced state, and the space for large - scale incremental injection is decreasing. These two operations should be considered comprehensively [11]. - **Factors Affecting Capital Price Center** - The downward breakthrough of the overnight price center is related to the recovery of the large banks' lending capacity. After April, the liability risk problem of large banks has been significantly alleviated. The performance of the capital market in the past two weeks has verified that the large banks' lending capacity has recovered, and the downward trend of the capital price center has not ended [13]. - **Seasonal Fluctuations of Capital Prices** - In mid - June, there is the impact of the tax period, and in late June, the cross - quarter factor will dominate the trend of capital prices. Near the end of the month, fiscal funds may be released to supplement liquidity. In July, the tax period is relatively large, and the fluctuation of the capital market may increase. Before that, in early and mid - July, capital prices may continue the downward trend, and the capital market may return to a stable and loose state [3][15]. - **Bond Market Strategy** - Recently, the short - end and long - end of the bond market still have downward space, but the long - end space is still limited. The 1 - year treasury bond has returned to the recent low, and it is not difficult for it to break through downward. The downward range of short - end treasury bond interest rates can be larger than that of other short - end varieties, which may bring some changes to the flat treasury bond yield curve. Therefore, the leverage strategy can be more aggressive, and a heavier position can increase bargaining chips in subsequent market games [3][17].

Group 1 - The bond market has faced significant challenges in 2023, with fund managers focusing on maintaining stable net value curves and market predictions [1][4] - Future bond yields are unlikely to replicate the significant decline seen in 2022, with duration strategies expected to weaken marginally, making coupon strategies a more stable choice [1][4] - Recent adjustments in deposit rates by domestic banks have led to cautious investor sentiment regarding the bond market, with concerns over profit-taking and pressure on bank liabilities [2][3] Group 2 - Credit bonds have outperformed interest rate bonds recently, driven by a shift of funds from bank deposits to wealth management products due to lower deposit rates [2] - The performance of interest rate bonds has been lackluster, influenced by rapid market movements and weak expectations for short-term liquidity easing [2][4] - Future bond market dynamics will depend on fundamental economic conditions and the People's Bank of China's (PBOC) policy expectations, including potential resumption of government bond purchases [3][5] Group 3 - In a low-interest-rate environment, fund managers need to adopt more refined strategies, focusing on individual bonds and optimizing portfolio structures to maximize risk-return ratios [4][6] - The newly launched fund by the company, which has a 12-month holding period, aims to leverage a stable liability structure and employ a yield curve riding strategy to enhance positive returns [4][5]

Core Insights - The credit bond market has shown unexpectedly optimistic performance, with significant gains surpassing those of interest rate bonds, particularly from May 19 to May 23, 2025 [9][24] - The strategy of focusing on weak-quality city investment bonds with a duration of 2-4 years has been widely adopted by institutions, with an extension to around 5 years observed in recent trading [10][24] - The absolute yield and credit spread protection for credit bonds are currently insufficient, indicating a cautious approach is warranted despite the market's enthusiasm [4][24] Credit Strategy Insights - The yield of AAA and AA+ medium-term notes decreased significantly, with 1Y, 2Y, 3Y, 4Y, and 5Y yields down by 1.5BP, 0.4BP, 2.4BP, 2.8BP, and 5.2BP respectively during the observed period [9][11] - The performance of weak-quality city investment bonds in the 2-5 year range has been particularly strong, with declines in yields exceeding those of comparable medium-term notes [10][24] - The market for super long-term credit bonds has shown signs of improvement, with a notable increase in buying interest, especially for real estate bonds and weak-quality city investment bonds [21][24] Market Dynamics - The average transaction duration for credit bonds has lengthened, reflecting a shift towards a more optimistic market sentiment [18][24] - The proportion of transactions below valuation for super long-term credit bonds has improved, with a significant focus on real estate bonds, which have seen yield declines of over 20BP [21][24] - The current market conditions suggest that there is still room for exploration in city investment bonds with yields above 2.2%, which constitute about 10% of the public city investment bonds [24]