Fixed-Income Management: Credit, Covenants, and Core-Plus

Given a recent environment of low interest rates, high default rates, periods of high volatility, and increasingly concentrated benchmarks, the presentations in this proceedings explore a variety of methods for maximizing excess return in fixed-income portfolios. Points of emphasis include strengthening the core portfolio by focusing on fundamental credit analysis, joining with other bond buyers to demand tight bond covenants and enforce creditor rights, and expanding the investment universe to include noncore sectors (such as leveraged bank loans, emerging market debt, and high-yield bonds) to enhance fixed-income performance.