Yield Hunters

After a long wait, Azalea Investment Management is finally back with the Astrea 8 Private Equity bonds - the latest of their Astrea series issuances. In this episode, Mr. Lim Jun Jie, Director, Investor Solutions & Marketing, will share with us about this new launch and also several important points for potential investors to note. 

As the markets speculate on the possibility of four to six rate cuts in 2024, the uncertain future of interest rates prompts us to explore the benefits of maintaining a shorter-duration exposure to fixed income. In our latest episode, we delved into the world of short-duration bonds—what exactly defines 'short,' considerations for duration, and a closer look at some noteworthy bonds worth considering. 

In this special Christmas episode, our fixed income team comes together for a heartwarming celebration of the season. Join us as we invite our regional team members to share a gift they'd like to give themselves this Christmas and their wishes for the 2024 economy. 

How big is the SGD bond market? What makes these bonds unique? Can SGD bonds help keep up with inflation? Get these questions answered as we explore the SGD bond space together with Willie Keng, Founder of Dividend Titan.com.

What's happening in China's property sector? We speak with Jason Sze, Senior Research Analyst with iFAST Financial, to discuss more about China's real estate crisis and the possible opportunities or dangers within.

We peek into our Portfolio Manager, Colin Low's brain to see how can one evaluate if a bond is worth investing in.

CPF is a familiar term to many Singaporeans, but what does it entail? In this episode, we speak with our analyst Wong Di Ming to find out how CPF interest rates are calculated, how it ties in with the macro environment and even the products you can invest in with CPF.

Check out what our Gen Z intern has to say about his time at iFAST and his exposure to the fixed income space. 

Bond ratings are representations of the creditworthiness of corporate or government bonds. In this episode, we discuss more on how bonds are rated with Willie Keng, Founder of Dividend Titan.com. 

Banks issue by tiers such as Additional Tier 1, Tier 2 or even Tier 3. Tune in to this episode and learn more about the tier system, as well as the Credit Suisse wipeout with our guest speaker, Fixed Income Analyst Wong Di Ming. 

Join us as we speak with Mr Chue En Yaw, Chief Investment Officer at Azalea Investment Management on the Astrea Bonds. With interest rates at record highs, how does the macro environment today impact the Astrea Bonds and its investors? Listen on as Mr Chue shares more on the Astrea Bonds' performance and the various structural safeguards which lends it credit strength and resilience. 

The 60/40 portfolio is intended to generate returns while minimising risk. Following a difficult year for both stocks and bonds, should investors still follow the 60/40 approach? 

The strong demand for Singapore government bonds reflects how soaring inflation is driving investors to search for ways to protect their capital. As people look to strengthen their portfolios by investing in low-risk bonds, what else can we look at apart from the government securities?

Distressed debt investors were picking up the bonds of China Evergrande Group when the embattled developer sparked concerns over its cash crunch. Why are people buying into these bonds? We'll find out in this episode as we speak to Pang Kuan Weng from Azimut Investment Management.

Given that Chinese property developer Logan Group failed to make its interest payments and hence defaulted, what will happen to its projects in Singapore? In this episode, we explore the options homebuyers have in such situations. 

Singapore introduced the governance framework for sovereign green bonds that set the stage for its first such issuance. In this episode, we speak with Saurabh from EY-Parthenon to discuss more on the framework, where he shares insights on how corporates and investors can cope with the green transition.

What are dim sum bonds, and why do they exist? In our new podcast episode, we explore the Chinese bond market, demand for CNH bonds and look at the growth opportunities for dim sum bonds.

As widely expected, the August tranche of Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) was oversubscribed, surging 85% higher than the already-popular July tranche. If you hit the quantity ceiling, what alternatives can you look at? Singapore Government Securities (SGS) could be a good option. Tune in to hear guest speaker, Gerald Wong, Founder of Beansprout debate with our Senior Fixed Income Analyst Lim Teng Chong over which is better.

Can bitcoin + bond = an equation that works? We invited Alvin Chow, the CEO and Founder of Dr. Wealth, to discuss El Salvador's bond that is slated to be issued as a tokenized security on Blockstream's Liquid network. 

The Singdollar bond market has seen a lot of new issuances lately, particularly in April as issuers priced new bonds ahead of the Fed rate hike in May. Will it still be as busy moving forward? We speak with Fixed Income Analyst Wang Hoong Wei from iFAST Singapore for trends that investors can look out for.

We're excited to reunite with Mr Chue En Yaw, Chief Investment Officer at Azalea Investment Management for the launch of Astrea 7. In this episode, we take a peek at the motivation behind issuing Class B bonds for retail investors. Listen on as we also raise questions about the current rising interest rate environment and geopolitical tensions.

Do fixed deposit rates of around 5% for a tenor of 2-3 years sound appealing to you? In this podcast, we take a closer look at India's fixed income instruments. 

You probably would have heard of ESG bonds, especially with its rising popularity. But what goes into it? In this episode, we will be talking about the different forms of ESG bonds and its growth. Listen on as we dive deeper into discussions about the ‘greenium' and why we should be looking at such bonds.

Aside from scoring goals, Inter Milan has also recently scored themselves a 425 million-euro bond to refinance its debt. This is the episode where football meets finance, as we discuss how the Suning Group-owned football club can resolve its financial woes and the possible challenges ahead. 

Is the faster pace of tapering and upcoming rate hikes worrying you? In this episode, we answer the golden question on whether bonds can help investors beat inflation.Hear our senior fixed income analyst Dexter Tan explain the impact of tapering bond purchases and interest rates on the economy. We dive deeper into how higher interest rates affect Singapore banks, and share recommendations on how investors can prepare their portfolio to safeguard their interests.

The global economic recovery will continue into 2022. As we see a gradual return to normalcy, we met with senior portfolio manager You Weiren to learn how he would position his portfolio for the year ahead. 

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without bonds? Would everything change, or nothing at all? While bonds typically have a reputation of being boring, there must be a reason why this asset class still continues to grow. In this episode, we learn from our Senior Fixed Income Analyst Dexter Tan about the origins of bonds, if we really still need them, and most importantly – why?

You might have heard others say bonds should not be part of a young person's portfolio. Couple of reasons why: young investors have more time, lesser responsibilities and a vaster field for mistakes. But can you really be too young for bonds? In this episode, we dive deep into this discussion with Ko Yang Zhi, Investment Advisory Team Director at iFAST Global Market and Lim Teng Chong, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart Team. 

The most anticipated private equity bond offering for 2021 has been launched, and it comes in three tranches: Class A-1 Retail 3%, Class A2 3.25% and Class B 4.35%. In this episode, we speak with Mr Chue En Yaw, Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Funds at Azalea Investment Management to share with us about Astrea VI, and discuss intricacies like vintage years and the cash flow structure of the bonds.

In a time when bonds were (and still are) typically made available to institutional and HNW investors, Azalea Investment Management made headlines when they issued Astrea IV, the first ever Private Equity bond accessible to retail investors in Singapore. With their latest issue being the Astrea V, these unique bonds are rated investment grade, issued by a subsidiary of Temasek (albeit not guaranteed), and provide investors with a novel option within the modest range of Singapore retail bonds. In this episode, we speak with Lim Jun Jie, Associate Director at Azalea Investment Management to find out more about the Astrea bonds, how such private equity bonds work and how they can add value to our investment portfolios.

If we could sum up 2020 with one word, it would easily be “Coronavirus”. It has roiled financial markets and resulted in lower for longer interest rates, but it's also given rise to a new type of bonds – Coronavirus Bonds. What exactly do these bonds do, and who can issue them? With the internet offering only a vague explanation, we speak to Jackson Chan, Fixed Income Analyst, from the Bondsupermart Team at iFAST Hong Kong to find out more.

Hard Underwriting, NDRC Quota for Chinese issuers; have you heard of these terms that are important to the Bond Origination process? Investors typically see the end product which is the bond itself, but what goes on behind the scenes before the bond is issued? With 30 years of experience in this field, Ling Peng Meng, previously Head of Fixed Income at DBS Greater China brings you backstage to find out more.

In the second part of our special debate on Bonds vs Bond Funds, we take a closer look at these two fixed income approaches. Does one product really trump the other? Which strategy will deliver more value for investors? 

In the bond universe where you can customise your portfolio with individual bonds or invest in diversified bond funds, which do you choose? In the first of a special 2-part mini-debate, Shawn Teow, Senior Unit Trust Analyst from iFAST Singapore and Tan Chu Ren, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team share their perspectives on Bonds vs Bond Funds - starting with factors like diversification and accessibility.

As interest rates continue to remain low, investors may find themselves stretching for yields. In this episode with Colin Low, Senior Macro Analyst from iFAST Singapore, we discuss the opportunities that investors can consider in this terribly low yield environment - and the easiest way to assess them.

Some are enthusiastic about the prospects of green financing, whereas many remain skeptical. With the rise of it in Asia, we ask Lynda Lin, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Singapore some tough questions about what green bonds can offer, whether they're better than regular bonds, and if she would invest in them.

We're used to borrowing money from banks – but have you ever lent money to one? Banks issue countless bonds to finance their operations and meet capital requirements, but why should you lend them money and how do you decide if the bank is credit worthy? Dexter Tan from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Singapore lays out the must-knows in this episode. Now it's your turn to credit-rate your bank.

The best way to overcome a fear of bond defaults is by understanding what they are, and how they happen. Ang Chung Yuh, Fixed Income Manager from iFAST Singapore, guides us through the basics surrounding bond defaults and the processes that take place after the announcement of one.

The issuance of sukuks are growing globally, and not just in traditionally Islamic countries. Ganageaswaran Arumugam, Fixed Income Analyst from iFAST Malaysia demystifies sukuk for us, and answers the ever so popular question: do their yields differ from conventional bonds?

Municipal bonds are often associated with government bonds for the safety that they provide. However in China, there's a distinct difference. In this episode conducted in Mandarin, Dwight Luo, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Hong Kong tells us about the fundamental difference between the two and why they exist.  

As interest rates plunge to near zero this year, the challenges of a yield-starved environment has begun to dawn on investors. Ong Zi Yang, Senior Macro Analyst from iFAST Singapore shares the outlook for fixed income markets ahead, and the strategies and opportunities bond investors can consider.

With air travel grinding to a halt, airlines are facing extraordinarily tough times. In this episode, Lynda Lin, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Singapore shares with us how she identifies airlines who will spread their wings through disruptions, and how they differ from those won't. 

As the concrete jungles in China continue to grow, so does the amount of debt raised. In this episode, we explore the stability and growth of the Chinese real estate developers with Jackson Chan, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Hong Kong.

The competition to provide entertainment is heating up. While traditional cinemas have faced the growing threats of online streaming services in the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic may just hasten its decline. In this episode, we explore the film industry's looming threats and bond issues with Dexter Tan, Fixed Income Analyst from the Bondsupermart team at iFAST Singapore.