The table below shows the performance of bond categories during each -10% S&P 500 (SPY) drawdown since 1987.
The charts below show the average performance figures. Since 1987, long-term U.S. government bonds (TLT) have been the best-performing category. But as the original table showed, yields cratered during most stock corrections over the past two decades.
The averages from 1987 to 1999 paint a different picture. Long-term bonds performed much worse. In fact, no bond category provided a meaningful portfolio offset against falling stocks.
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