FHY News and Press, First Trust Strategic High Income Fund II of Beneficial Interest From 01/12/21

Credit markets have staged an epic rebound from the depths of March 2020. But in a low-growth, low-yield world, we believe there may be more room to run in 2021. For investors, we believe a nimble, selective approach will be especially important to grasp the opportunities presente...

The new Administration's tax proposals, in year one, total some $3.9 trillion, according to Moody's Analytics estimates. Yields on munis sank to 1.14%, which is their lowest since 1979. Also, the municipal bond spread to Treasuries is near historic lows. Yields have gone up somewh...

With the exception of broadly defined commodities and US and foreign property shares, global markets posted solid gains last year. US stocks were the top 2020 performers, with the Russell 3000 Index surging 20.9% last year. US REITs saw the deepest loss for the major asset classes...

Broad US equities continued their momentum from Q2 following the dramatic COVID-19-driven decline earlier in the year. The S&P 500 rose 9% in Q3 after a 20% rise in Q2. Value-oriented stocks underperformed the broader market on concerns about economic fragility, the expiration of ...

Other than moving a few pieces around the board, the recent actions by the Fed only continues to move back the day of reckoning. The "extend and pretend illusion" our economy remains on a sound footing is alive and well. One place this is evident is in the area corporate bond mark...

The COVID-19 related sell-off in corporate bonds in Q1 2020 caused some commentators to express concern about the liquidity and functionality of fixed income ETFs, led by corporate bond ETFs. Widening discounts between corporate bond ETFs and NAV pricing after COVID-19 was cited as fu...

For 94 years, the "average, annual" return for large-cap stocks, which per the Ibbotson data is the S&P 500, is above 10%, and probably closer to 12%. The only return period that matched or roughly approximates the 103-year average, annual return for the S&P 500 is the decade ...

The bond markets are in the midst of a feeding frenzy. U.S. high-yield bond sales reached an annual record of $329.8 billion for the year, with three months left to go. The high yield's market's record year follows the U.S. investment-grade bond market, which reached a new record ...

Coming into COVID-19, a chunk of client bond money was in higher yielding money markets since credit spreads (in my opinion) offered little value prior to March 2020. After the 35% correction in the S&P 500, and upon the announcement of the Fed liquidity programs, all that money w...

High-yield bonds have a reputation for volatility. But history shows that the US high-yield sector's yield to worst has been a reliable indicator of its return over the following five years. In fact, US high-yield bonds have performed predictably, even through rough markets. The relations...