• No more than 25% emerging markets exposure
• Duration managed between-3 and 8
As we show above, while UBND is unconstrained by a mandate to track a traditional fixed income benchmark, the actual implementation of the strategy will adhere to broad guideposts and prescribed ranges. Put another way, the managers have significant latitude in navigating changes in the market, not free rein. In our view, in the current environment, Western Asset’s depth of expertise across all sectors of fixed income provides investors with a powerful option to gain exposure to a much broader subset of the global fixed income markets in search of total returns.
Unconstrained Transparency Removes Black-box Element
Of course, as an active yet fully transparent ETF, the Fund’s holdings are published every day at wisdomtree.com. For investors, knowing what they hold each day allows them to manage risk across their portfolios in greater detail. In our view, this enhanced visibility should help diffuse some of the “black box” anxiety that has dissuaded investors from unconstrained mandates in the past. With daily transparency into the holdings, investors can incorporate the strategy into their portfolios and manage risk with a great deal of precision.
Window into Western Asset’s Views
In a similar vein, one of the least appreciated elements of an unconstrained bond ETF is the additional insight investors can receive from one of the largest fixed income-only managers in the world. With Western Asset Management Company currently managing more than $466 billion in assets through its many offices around the world, its views on the market drive the portfolio construction process.
In 2014, Morningstar named several members of UBND’s portfolio management team as its Fixed Income Fund Manager of the Year. On a daily basis, investors can review the composition of the portfolio to understand Western Asset’s view on interest rate and credit risk, as well as sectors and geography.
So how is Western Asset Management Company currently viewing the world? Global growth is slow and uneven, but set to improve, highlighted by the continuation of modest growth in the United States, a recovery in Europe and a soft landing in China. With global inflation subdued, global central banks will remain accommodative, and rate normalization in the United States will proceed, albeit very slowly. Western Asset Management Company is positioning assets with this recovery in mind, tilting toward credit-sensitive sectors relative to government bonds. Income opportunities exist outside of core fixed income in non-agency mortgage-backed securities, emerging market debt and high-yield corporate credit. Given the unevenness of the recovery, duration positioning will remain tactical, though the long-term bias is toward higher rates and a flatter yield curve.
1Source: Western Asset, as of 3/31/15. Investment guidelines targeted by sub-advisor. Please view the Fund’s prospectus for statutory limits.