Fidelity European Hi Yld E-MD-EUR |



by Jeana Marie Doubell

Fidelity European High Yield's skilled lead-managers have demonstrated skillful top-down management and consistent bottom-up credit selection. The strategy holds an Above Average People rating and earns an upgrade to an Above Average Process rating. Morningstar has enhanced the process for assessing alpha opportunity for funds, a key component in the Morningstar Medalist Rating calculation. More of this strategy's Medalist Ratings than usual may be impacted with the update, even in the absence/presence of changes to pillar ratings or fund costs. Veteran co-lead managers Andrei Gorodilov and James Durance each boast more than two decades' investing experience and have worked together on this strategy since 2017. They are supported by US high-yield chief Peter Khan and backed by Fidelity's vast 44-member credit analyst team, which includes 21 London-based analysts (up from 16 analysts in 2021, as the firm boosted its research capabilities). The team aims to outperform the ICE BofA Global High Yield European Issuers Constrained Index, primarily through a combination of security selection, sector allocation, and top-down credit-market calls. The approach has its riskier qualities, but these have been well-managed by the team over the long term. For example, the benchmark features a 10% stake in US-dollar-denominated Eastern European and Turkish corporate debt (Russia was removed in 2022), which can add volatility to the portfolio during times of emerging-markets turmoil (but the team held only half the benchmark's stake in the years from 2020 to 2023). In addition, the managers prefer running slightly higher credit-market sensitivity (measured by the portfolio's average duration times spread) than their benchmark in a typical market environment. They do, however, adjust that positioning in accordance with their top-down outlook, such as in the second half of 2022 when they took the portfolio's level of credit risk down below their benchmark's, which helped protect against higher inflation and rates volatility. And while stakes in defaulted issuers stung performance in 2017 and 2019, the team has navigated distressed issuers deftly since then, contributing positively to the strategy's performance overall. Skilled security selection and sensible implementation of the fund's risk-taking approach have resulted in strong performance on an absolute and risk-adjusted basis under this team's leadership, pushing it into the top quartile of its euro-denominated high-yield bond Morningstar Category over multiple trailing periods. |
Morningstar Pillars | |
People | Above Average |
Parent | Above Average |
Process | Above Average |
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