BKT News and Press, BlackRock Income Trust Inc. From 09/04/23

2023-09-04 10:25:00 ET Summary Thirty-year mortgage rates were over 7 percent at the end of August 2023, a level not seen (other than two isolated weeks) since 2002. Interest rates are higher due to the Federal Reserve’s increases in rates from their near-zero levels. T...

2023-08-11 11:24:57 ET Summary The average American is suffering from high inflation, causing strain on household budgets and the need for additional sources of income. Investors can earn income by purchasing shares of closed-end funds specializing in income generation, such as th...

2023-07-22 02:35:00 ET Summary As a likely economic slowdown approaches, the investment outlook for short, high-quality consumer asset backed securities looks attractive. Although further prime credit normalization is expected given consumer headwinds, delinquencies and defaults r...

2023-07-14 01:15:00 ET Summary After failures at SVB and Signature, markets have successfully absorbed vast sales of the banks’ MBS portfolios. Coming into 2023, the agency mortgage-backed securities market seemed likely to benefit from both higher mortgage rates and the im...

2023-07-03 10:38:00 ET Summary Despite hawkish policymakers and very mixed economic data, the approaching plateau in rates brings more clarity and conviction to our fixed income views. The peak in rates will come as a relief for some, but if they stay at high levels it will keep t...

2023-06-27 03:05:00 ET Summary Striking the right balance between interest-rate and credit risk can be a good idea in the late stages of a credit cycle. We think it’s a particularly good idea in this credit cycle. Why? Consider that over the last 18 months, investors have g...

2023-06-22 08:56:00 ET Summary In the United States, 30-year mortgage rates play a big role in determining how affordable housing is for American households. As important as they are however, the historical data for mortgage rates is surprisingly lacking. Because housing sales...

2023-06-16 22:06:00 ET Summary The Committee released a new Summary of Economic Projections, which showed slow 2023 growth at 1.0%, though somewhat stronger than the 0.4% projected in March. Powell suggested that housing costs, among the key drivers of inflation now, have had a ve...

2023-05-28 06:06:46 ET Summary BlackRock Income Trust is a fixed income closed end fund. BKT focuses on buying AAA Agency MBS bonds and leverages them up to enhance profits. The CEF does not have a fixed leverage cost structure and has not seen its distribution coverage balloo...

2023-05-05 02:45:00 ET Summary As bond yields rose in 2022, investors sought refuge in high-yield bank loans, whose floating coupons are often heralded as an antidote to rising rates. But with conditions shaping up differently in 2023, bank loans may face challenges. We think ...