March 3, 2021
Seasoned fixed income investors know that the lower they go in terms of credit quality, the higher the risk profile they take on.
The
SKOR tracks the Northern Trust Credit-Scored US Corporate Bond Index, which focuses on issues from companies with quality characteristics such as strength in management efficiency, profitability, and solvency, according to FlexShares. The fund is increasingly relevant for investors seek stout credit quality.
“During the COVID-19-led global recession, our corporate ratings performed as designed,” according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. “The number of defaults rose, but all entities that defaulted in 2020 began the year rated speculative grade–and 94% with a rating in the ‘B’ category or lower. Default and downgrade rates were in line with the rank ordering of our ratings, with higher default and downgrade rates among the lower ratings, and vice versa. Annual stability rates displayed positive rank ordering in 2020, and most
SKOR Big with This Indexed Corporate Bond ETF from FlexShares February 18, 2021
Corporate bonds are one of the largest segments of the already vast fixed income landscape. That expansive nature tends to highlight the advantages of index-based approaches such as the
SKOR tracks the Northern Trust Credit-Scored US Corporate Bond Index, which focuses on issues from companies with quality characteristics such as strength in management efficiency, profitability, and solvency, according to FlexShares.
“Exchange-traded funds tracking indexes that are representative of the broad investment-grade corporate bond market are a solid option for exposure to this asset class,” writes Morningstar analyst Neal Kosciulek.” Portfolios that mimic the contours of this opportunity set and boast low fees have been difficult for active managers to beat. Over the 10 years through June 2020, just 40% of actively managed funds in the corporate bond Morningstar Category managed to survive and outpe