Bond ETFs That Steer Clear of Interest Rate Risk

In the world of bond investing, the primary risk factors relate to the creditworthiness of the issuer and the duration of the fund. The concept of credit risk is fairly straightforward: the less likely an issuer is to repay its obligations, the higher yield investors will demand. While interest rates have little direct impact on the probability of default, they can have a significant impact on the demand (and therefore the market price) of existing fixed income securities. When rates rise, existing debt loses a bit of its luster since investors can purchase new debt with a more attractive cash flow profile.

There are, of course, ultra-low risk ETF options that invest in securities with both low durations and low credit risk. The SPDR Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL A-), for example, invests in short-term debt of the U.S. government. The iShares Barclays Short Treasury Fund (SHV A) is cut from a similar cloth, investing in short-term debt from high quality issuers (generally the U.S. government, or agencies backed by the full faith and credit of Uncle Sam). But because these funds are light on both interest rate risk and credit risk, they are also light on expected return.

Beyond short-dated Treasuries, there are a number of options that tilt away from interest rate risk, but still offer exposure to the credit risk that accompanies more attractive yield profiles. Below, we profile four options for investors to prepare for an environment with rising rates:

(BKLN A) is unique in that the underlying securities are floating rate debt, meaning that the effective interest rates are determined relative to a reference rate and reset on a regular basis. As such, the impact of interest rate hikes will be minimal. But because senior loans are often issued to companies with credit ratings below investment grade in connection with leveraged buyouts or other acquisition activities, this debt fund exposes investors to some credit risk. And with that credit risk comes a fairly attractive yield.

(BKLN A) is, by far, not risk free, but it provides an opportunity for investors to diversify the risk profile of their bond holdings and potentially trim back interest rate risk without sacrificing expected return.

This ETF offers exposure to investment grade corporate debt, meaning that the credit risk of the underlying securities will generally be less than a junk bond fund. Almost all of the debt held by (VCSH A) is rated between Baa and Aa, and the issuers represented include well known large cap companies. Unlike (BKLN A), the debt held by (VCSH A) is primarily fixed rate, but interest rate risk is curtailed because the underlying holdings are generally within five years of maturity [see all the Short-Term Bond ETFs here].

Most fixed income ETFs offer investors a “yield experience” that differs considerably from holding individual bonds. Whereas the cash flow profile of bonds includes return of principal upon maturity, the majority of fixed income ETFs on the market don’t hold bonds to maturity. When underlying holdings move out of the “eligibility window” they are sold by the fund and the proceeds used to purchase new securities that have now meet qualifications for inclusion in the underlying index.

Guggenheim has pioneered a different type of bond ETF that more closely replicates the cash flow profile of individual bonds, holding securities until maturity and subsequently distributing the proceeds to investors. Most fixed income ETFs will continue to operate into perpetuity, but those in the BulletShares suite have a known end date. There are a number of potential advantages of this structure, including an opportunity to reduce tracking error and return lags caused by portfolio turnover and adverse impacts of front-running.

The BulletShares structure also allows investors to fine tune their interest rate risk; whereas most bond ETFs cover a range of maturities (e.g., the Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund), each of the BulletShares targets debt securities scheduled to mature in a single year. For those seeking to minimize interest rate risk but willing to take on some credit risk, there are options at the short end of the maturity curve that may be intriguing.

For investors looking to take on a little more in the way of credit risk in return for a higher expected return, Guggenheim also offers a suite of ETFs focusing on junk bonds maturing in a specific year. The underlying holdings of these funds are generally rated BB or below, and the issuers can include cash-strapped companies whose ability to repay their debts is uncertain [see all the Junk Bond ETFs here]. As a result, the yields offered can be pretty juicy considering the scarcity of interest rate risk included.

Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.