HSBC GIF Euro Credit Bond EC

Analyst Report
Morningstar's Take
|18/09/2024

by Elbie Louw
HSBC GIF Euro Credit Bond boasts an experienced and stable team employing an efficient investment process. The strategy retains its People and Process Pillar ratings of High and Above Average, respectively.

Jean-Olivier Neyrat has managed this strategy since 2009 and is part of a team of roughly 20 managers at HSBC, of which around two thirds focus primarily on credit. This credit management group averages more than two decades of experience and has been remarkably stable through time: Just two individuals have left since 2013, though some members have rotated to different roles within the team. Neyrat also has the support of more than 45 credit analysts globally, including seasoned European financial analysts who have helped the fund uncover numerous opportunities in the sector over the years.

The strategy invests predominantly in investment-grade corporate bonds, with the ability to own up to 10% of the portfolio in high-yield debt, a slightly more conservative limit than some peers. Performance is primarily driven by bottom-up security selection, which depends on the credit analysts' assessments of company fundamentals and relative valuations. Interest-rate positioning plays a less significant role and has generally been used defensively. Neyrat has ample freedom, however, to deviate from his Bloomberg Euro Corporate Bond Index in terms of overall credit market exposure and sector positioning. The fund's bold credit profile can leave it vulnerable in periods of spread widening, but it has usually been tempered by lower interest-rate risk than most peers. Meanwhile, the quality of the team's security selection has allowed it to escape most credit selloffs unscathed, including the March 2020 covid crisis. Though the price tag on some of its share classes is too steep to give them a chance of outperforming the category benchmark, this strategy has enough fundamental strengths to retain our confidence.

 
Morningstar Medalist Rating™A compelling option.
To find out how Morningstar rates a fund click here.
Morningstar Pillars
PeopleHigh
ParentAverage
ProcessAbove Average
 
Morningstar Medalist RatingMorningstar assigns the Medalist Rating to funds that are qualitatively and quantitatively assessed through manager research and algorithmic processes. The assessment turns on three key “pillars” – People, Process, and Parent – that yield an estimate of how well a fund will perform before fees but after adjusting for risk.
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