Bonds

bondsThe premise of bonds is simple: you invest your money to an entity and, after a set period of time, that money matures and can be collected for more than what you invested. Some of the more popular bonds are government bonds, which have been used in the past to fund wars, public utilities, and various federal and state projects.

The main caveat to bonds is their limited returns and the possibility of that yield barely even surpassing inflation. However, the security of bonds is priceless. Bonds are all but sure things and even if the issuer goes bankrupt, bond holders (lenders) are the first to be paid out. Bonds have their place in any portfolio, as they provide lockdown stability and even some growth.

2 Charts That Explain the Recent Volatility

U.S. interest rates and the euro help illustrate the reasoning behind this action.

Forget the Fed: 6 Reasons to Hold on to Your Bond Funds

Just because bond yields are low doesn't mean that they have to rise. Six reasons why high-quality bonds remain a safe investment.

Trade of the Day: iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund (IEF)

A misplaced fear of inflation has driven stocks and bonds down and pushed volatility up. These conditions probably will not last.

GLD: All the Reasons You Need to Avoid Gold, Gold Stocks

Gold and gold stocks continue to attract interest, but fundamentals and technicals both indicate that ETFs such as GLD and GDX should be avoided for now.

TOTL: All Hail the New Bond King

Gundlach's new TOTL ETF should prove to be a big winner for both investors and DoubleLine.

The Best Europe ETF for 2015

Buyers of Europe ETFs have favored hedged products such as the HEDJ ETF in 2015, but funds exposed to the euro may now be the better bet.

Trade of the Day: iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund (IEF)

The CounterPoint Options system is recommending option positions that would benefit from rising stock prices and a lower VIX and bonds.

Trade of the Day: iShares iBoxx $ High Yid Corp Bonds ETF (HYG)

High risk bonds look…well, “high risk” at this point.

Trade of the Day: iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Fund (IEF)

The CounterPoint Options system recommends playing for a return to a risk-on condition: a volatility decline, a stock rebound and a bond sell-off.

Janus Capital Makes A Major Move Forward With ETFs

First Janus Capital lands Bill Gross, Now it nabs ETFs. There's no denying it: Janus Capital is on a roll.

Bill Gross’ Departure the Last Straw for Pimco

Bill Gross is leaving Pimco for Janus Capital, leaving a leadership vacuum and an SEC investigation in his wake. If you own Pimco funds, start looking around.

Why Investors Need to Stop Sweating the Federal Reserve

The outlook for Federal Reserve policy continues to make headlines, but its potential market impact is being greatly exaggerated.

Gold Is Down, But That Doesn’t Make It a Buy

Gold and gold stocks are depressed, but major currency headwinds mean that any rally is likely to be short-lived.

The Hidden Dangers of Defensive Stocks

Defensive stocks - including dividend ETFs, low volatility ETFs, and the consumer staples and utilities sectors - are highly vulnerable to rising bond yields at this stage of the cycle.

3 Best Mutual Funds for Junk Bonds

If you want to buy the best mutual funds to play junk bonds, you need to find the best high-yield bond fund managers.

Attention, Stock Investors – The Bond Market Has a Message for You

The resolution of a disconnect in the bond market between 10- and five-year Treasuries might be the key to the second-half outlook for stocks.

Are High Yield Bonds Flashing a Warning for Stocks?

High-yield bonds have lost ground in the past month, even as stocks continue to trade sideways. Is this warning of a coming market correction?

The Worst Mutual Funds of 2014

Could the losers of the first half of 2014 be the winners of the second half? Will the poor performance continue or might the worst performing funds be bargains to buy now? What explains such under-performance?

The Frightening Foolishness of the Fed’s Bond Fund ‘Exit Fees’ Idea

The Federal Reserve is considering slapping exit fees on bond funds in order to prevent disorderly selling. Here's why this idea is so, so foolish.