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Strategic Fixed Income: Japanification — Europe first and now the US
John Pattullo, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, explains how the suppression of volatility by the US Federal Reserve during the Covid crisis has led to the Japanification of the US corporate bond market.

Breaking the link: GDP declines and default rates
Jenna Barnard and Nicholas Ware, Portfolio Managers in the Strategic Fixed Income Team, muse over how low corporate default rates may prove to be despite the pandemic-induced economic shock.
Credit resilience but confusion surrounds longer-term inflation outlook
Jenna Barnard, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, shares the Strategic Fixed Income Team’s current thoughts and views on bond markets, and addresses the most frequently asked question: is inflation on the rise?

Bridging the gap: credit markets in the COVID crisis
Jenna Barnard and Nicholas Ware, Portfolio Managers in the Strategic Fixed Income Team, provide an update on the shape of the recovery in corporate bond markets following the virtual heart attack experienced in March.
Credit spreads — from reassuringly expensive to scary cheap, and now: just cheap?
John Pattullo, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, believes that over the last month corporate bond spreads have gone from scary cheap to just ‘kind of cheap’ now. As the dust settles in the markets, he remains optimistic that there are opportunities to be had going forwards.
Credit has been the place to be of late — a Strategic Fixed Income view
Jenna Barnard, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, remarks on the significant rally in credit markets over the last week, with healthy investment grade issuance volumes and even the US high yield market open for new issues. Support from the authorities trying to help companies avoid default has accelerated the sharp market recovery.
Strategic Fixed Income view: disruption simply exaggerating existing structural trends
John Pattullo, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, provides a brief update on the team’s current thoughts on the markets and the opportunities they see going forward, while explaining the reasons for their optimism.

Credit over equities — coupons over dividends?
Jenna Barnard, and Nicholas Ware, members of the Strategic Fixed Income Team, share their views on the recent bout of market activity, with large companies accessing the capital markets and the stream of dividend cut announcements in Europe.
Liquidity crisis begins to heal — Strategic Fixed Income view
The coronavirus crisis continues to impact economies and markets but the liquidity crisis is seemingly beginning to heal. Jenna Barnard, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, shares her views on the latest developments and explains why the team favour investment grade bonds now and how they are less bullish on government bonds going forward.
Corporate bonds: from reassuringly expensive to scary cheap?
John Pattullo, Co-Head of Strategic Fixed Income, shares how the Strategic Fixed Income Team continue to carry out their day to day jobs successfully, albeit from home, remaining focused on their client outcomes.

Coronavirus update from the Strategic Fixed Income Team
The spread of the coronavirus across the globe and the oil price war have served to highlight the fragility of the global markets and rattled investors. As concerns for the global supply chains and the health of economies grow, Jenna Barnard, Co-Head of the Strategic Fixed Income Team, shares her views, explaining the steps taken in the team’s portfolios that seek to mitigate the risks.
Strategic Fixed Income outlook 2020 — no reflation without a soft dollar
Jenna Barnard and John Pattullo, Co-Heads of Strategic Fixed Income, share their thoughts on bond markets in the coming year; where they see risks and opportunities and where they look for clues.