Take a Hike
After a strong first quarter, the investment grade bond market treaded water in the second quarter. Treasury yields rose as there was some contagion following the bank failures in the first quarter as well as weakness in commercial real estate. This could become a problem for smaller regional banks, who also suffered most in the first quarter, as they tend to have relatively large exposures to commercial real estate. As they say, more news at 11.
The Federal Reserve continues down its path of steadying the ship in a sea of volatility that it largely created for itself. So far, so good – in recent weeks risk appetite has improved (outside of commercial real estate), lending to a narrative that any slowdown the economy may face will be relatively mild – if it happens at all. Corporate spreads ended June near their tightest levels of the year, with enviable equity performance to match. Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) have also improved as volatility has declined, though they remain vulnerable to a rise in rates as evidenced in May, when nominal spreads reached their widest levels in over a decade.
Against this backdrop, the Fed says it expects to raise rates at each of its next two meetings (for a total of 50 basis points). Recent -data substantiate the resilience of the economy against the 500-basis-point increase in rates over the past 18 months. For every weak manufacturing survey that is published, we find evidence of a relatively robust job market, remarkable strength in the housing market (despite lack of affordability), and diminishing inflation expectations that are contributing to a rise in consumer confidence.
On the topic of inflation, headline inflation is falling – but not fast enough for the Fed’s liking. Our favored inflation measure, the Underlying Inflation Gauge, continues to decline precipitously toward 3%, and it appears on pace to reach 2% by the fall. The real question, at this point, is whether the explosive growth in M2 money supply during the pandemic (the “printing money days”) contributes to a higher forward inflation path that will be more difficult for the Fed to combat. Time will tell.
Looking forward, we remain relatively constructive on duration as yield levels remain compelling for a longer-term investment. We continue to favor MBS over investment grade corporates at the former’s relatively wide spread levels. While the economy feels strong here and now, it has not proven to be able to withstand this level of the fed funds target rate in this century.
We appreciate your continued confidence in our management and will continue to focus on the areas of the market that we believe can deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns over time.
Eddy Vataru
John Sheehan
Daniel Oh
The Osterweis Funds are available by prospectus only. The Funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The summary and statutory prospectuses contain this and other important information about the Funds. You may obtain a summary or statutory prospectus by calling toll free at (866) 236-0050, or by visiting www.osterweis.com/statpro. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing to ensure the Fund is appropriate for your goals and risk tolerance.
Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. The Osterweis Total Return Fund may invest in fixed income securities which are subject to credit, default, extension, interest rate and prepayment risks. It may also make investments in derivatives that may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity, interest rate, market, credit, management and the risk that a position could not be closed when most advantageous.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. This commentary contains the current opinions of the authors as of the date above, which are subject to change at any time. This commentary has been distributed for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation or offer of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed. It is not possible to invest in an index.
No part of this article may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without the express written permission of Osterweis Capital Management.
The fed funds rate is the rate at which depository institutions (banks) lend their reserve balances to other banks on an overnight basis.
A basis point is a unit that is equal to 1/100th of 1%.
The Underlying Inflation Gauge (UIG) captures sustained movements in inflation from information contained in a broad set of price, real activity, and financial data.
Investment grade bonds are those with high and medium credit quality as determined by ratings agencies.
Duration measures the sensitivity of a fixed income security’s price to changes in interest rates. Fixed income securities with longer durations generally have more volatile prices than those of comparable quality with shorter durations.
Treasuries are securities sold by the federal government to consumers and investors to fund its operations. They are all backed by “the full faith and credit of the United States government” and thus are considered free of default risk.
A mortgage-backed security (MBS) is a type of asset-backed security that is secured by a mortgage or collection of mortgages.
Spread is the difference in yield between a risk-free asset such as a Treasury bond and another security with the same maturity but of lesser quality.
M2 is a measure of the money supply that includes cash, checking deposits, and other types of deposits that are readily convertible to cash such as CDs.
Osterweis Capital Management is the adviser to the Osterweis Funds, which are distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. [OSTE-20230710-0926]
A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: Our latest white papers offer research and analysis covering the most important topics and trends in financial planning, investing and practice management. Click here to read the top insights from our valued partners.
© Osterweis Capital Management
Read more commentaries by Osterweis Capital Management
