Ivy Investment Management Company

As the final quarter of 2015 begins, we are reminded of several topics of focus from the start of the year: concerns that global central bankers are stuck with their current monetary policies because the global economy now depends on them; market acceptance that higher U.S. interest rates are inevitable, even if they rise only slightly; and favorable prospects for U.S. consumers, who benefit from a stronger labor market and lower energy prices. If the topics sound familiar now, it is because little has changed in these areas while global risks have increased for several reasons.

The last four major oil cycles have one thing in common: Falling prices, increasing demand, and pressure on supply. Growing demand and declining supply then tend to push prices higher.

The second half of summer has challenged high-yield fixed income investors with volatility fueled by developments on a number of fronts. That volatility, however, may have created some potential opportunities. Chad Gunther, portfolio manager of Ivy High Income Fund, shares his views.

There are many drivers of recent short-term price changes for publicly traded real estate companies in the current market environment. These include changes in the market’s outlook for economic growth, for interest rate movements, for central bank actions and even the issues surrounding Greece and Ukraine.

When thinking of the U.S. millennial generation, many of us may imagine a carefree teenager. In reality, the leading edge of the Millennials is in its mid-thirties and establishing careers and families. They are establishing homes, settling down and engaging in decisions about how to spend and invest their money. We think the rise of the Millennials is likely to have a significant effect on the economy and provide a catalyst for new investment opportunities.

So far this year, the financial markets have given us a volatile ride. But it’s a ride that has left us just about where we started. It’s not exactly that nothing happened, of course, but the S&P 500 Index ended the first quarter essentially flat. The volatility stems largely from two things: since January we’ve seen a steep decline in energy prices and a sharp rally in the dollar.

Concern about interests rates has made fixed income investors more aware of the potential for interest rate risk – or the risk that a rise in rates will reduce the value of their longer-maturity securities. This risk, which is often expressed as a bond or bond fund’s “duration,” has led some investors to consider investments believed to have less potential risk. These securities, which are considered to have a lower duration, are seen as less vulnerable to market volatility.

The tumbling oil market put junk bond prices On a slippery slope in late 2014. Total returns on high-yield bond indexes tracked by Barclays fell into negative territory in mid-December for the first time since 2011, as investor fear about downside risk associated with energy-related junk bonds spilled over into the rest of the high-yield market. While the slide in high-yield valuations may have disappointed some investors, Ivy High Income Portfolio Manager Chad Gunther believes it created some potentially attractive opportunities in the high-yield credit market. Below he shares his views.

In 2014, the global economy grew at roughly the same pace as the prior year. However, the composition was notably different. Developed market economies grew at a faster pace, while growth slowed in emerging market economies. The dollar strengthened and commodity prices weakened. Overall, we expect these trends to continue in 2015.

The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) has indicated it will stop buying U.S. Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities the taper of its QE3 program by the end of October. The Fed also has said it will keep interest rates at a very low level for a considerable time.

The term Shale Revolution reflects the booming oil production from shale basins in the U.S. The rapid pace of oil output from these fields is spurring growth across the energy industry, providing a wide range of benefits to the U.S. economy and generating potential opportunities for investors.

Lately, concerns have been on the rise regarding technology stocks and their growth outlook. Wed like to provide our thoughts on the current market environment, our outlook, and as a result, how the Fund is positioned.

We believe a global economic upturn is likely in 2014, although the overall growth rate will remain sluggish. We think developed countries will show the largest improvement, which in turn will help support growth rates in emerging markets.

Although the December 2013 U.S. budget pact between House and Senate negotiators was a welcome development, partisan battles over government spending still are possible in 2014. The agreement ends a three-year budget fight and sets government spending through fall 2015, but it does not eliminate the need to raise the nations borrowing limit - the "debt ceiling."