Convertibles Competition: A new Convertible Bond ETF Launches

Convertible bonds are not often highly rated, but that does not mean investors are taking on significant credit risk with ETFs like CWB and ICVT. For example, nearly 20% of ICVT’s portfolio is rated BB and almost 23% of the new ETF’s holdings are rated BBB or A, according to issuer data. However, nearly 36% of ICVT’s holdings are not rated.

ICVT charges 0.35% per year, just below the 0.4% charged by CWB.

ICVT Maturity Breakdown

Chart Courtesy: iShares