Group 1 - The junk bond market is signaling optimism similar to the U.S. stock market, with the spread between junk bonds and government bonds narrowing to a historical low of approximately 2.88 percentage points, the lowest since 2021 [1][2] - Data from FactSet indicates that the iShares iBoxx USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF achieved a total return of 5% in the first half of 2025, while the SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) recorded a total return of 4.8%, with a monthly return of 2% in June, marking the best monthly performance since July 2024 [2] - Nicholas Colas suggests that the current narrowing of spreads reflects a high level of economic confidence, similar to that seen in 2021 during strong fiscal and monetary support [2] Group 2 - Despite concerns over tariff policies, industry experts believe the impact on the U.S. economy is manageable, and tariffs are not expected to trigger a recession [3] - The current yield on U.S. junk bonds is approximately 7%, but it may fluctuate with changes in spreads, indicating a tighter credit market compared to pre-2008 financial crisis conditions [3] - Michael Chang expresses a cautious outlook on the retail sector due to exposure to tariffs, while favoring defensive high-yield sectors such as healthcare, food and beverage, and utilities to mitigate potential volatility [3]