Attractive Tax-Free Income Potential
Municipal bonds represent a compelling opportunity for investors who are seeking to generate investment income while lowering their tax burden. That is because the income produced by these bonds is usually exempt from Federal and possibly state income taxes.1 Further, a portfolio that combines investment-grade and high-yield (below-investment-grade) municipal bonds can offer an especially attractive balance of risk and reward. That is because high-yield municipal bonds can enhance the income potential of a municipal portfolio: they tend to pay higher rates of interest than investment-grade municipal bonds since their credit ratings are lower, and accordingly, they entail additional risk. At the same time, their credit risk compares favorably to that of high-yield corporate bonds. The default rates on high-yield municipals have historically been much lower than those on high yield corporates.2
Ability to Enhance Portfolio Diversification
High yield municipal bonds generally have a low correlation, or lower tendency to move in lock step, with stocks, conventional bonds and certain other asset classes. In fact, between December 1997 and December 2007, high yield municipal bond returns had only an 11% correlation to returns of the S&P 500 Index. High yield corporate bond returns, on the other hand, had a 49% correlation with S&P 500 returns in the same time period.3 As a result, an allocation to this sector has the potential to help investors enhance portfolio diversification and manage overall risk.4
Expert Management from PIMCO
PIMCO is one of the largest and most respected bond managers in the country and currently manages more than $13 billion in municipal bond assets (as of 12/31/07). The firm’s municipal bond team includes John Cummings--the manager of the PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond-New York Preferenced portfolio--as well as an additional senior portfolio manager, two tax-sensitive product managers and four analysts. Notably, the team's two senior portfolio managers have an average of 19 years of investment experience. The PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond-New York Preferenced portfolio benefits from this expertise as well as PIMCO’s extensive credit research capabilities, which are particularly important in the area of high yield municipal investing. That is because approximately half of these securities are not rated,5 providing fertile ground for independent research. PIMCO gives an internal rating on all high yield municipal bonds it purchases based on a thorough analysis of each issuer.
Proven Investment Process
PIMCO is committed to active bond management within a long-term framework, beginning with the firm's annual Secular Forum, where management develops a 3-5 year outlook for the global economy, inflation and interest rates. Through its quarterly cyclical forums, PIMCO applies its long-term outlook to the next 3-12 months to forecast specific influencing factors, including interest rate volatility and credit trends. PIMCO uses this shorter-term outlook along with proprietary analytical tools to make specific investment decisions for the portfolios.
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