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iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF (XBB)
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iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) (XHY)
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SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF (SRLN)
Q: SRLN looks unsafe at first glance. the yield at over 8% p.a. looks high. Morningstar gives SRLN a neutral rating (forward looking) and 2 stars looking backward. Morningstar is often out of date, and there is better information at ETF.com. Your Bloomberg is not available to us commoners.
I ask this this question because bank-owned brokers make it difficult and/or expensive to buy bonds. Information and pricing on bonds are not easily searchable. Every time I force myself to look at asset allocation, the robotic tools I use scream at me that I am mad in that I zero fixed income. This brought me to look at bond ETFs and I acquired some USHY which looked decent, but that doesn’t quieten those pesky AI tools that help self-directed investors.
Is SRLN a reasonable enough proxy to add to the fixed income part of one’s portfolio? Or is it risky compared to other available US$ bond ETFs? I’d welcome substance in your response and if you care to add links to materials that pedestrian investors like me should look at, that could help. Many thanks.
I ask this this question because bank-owned brokers make it difficult and/or expensive to buy bonds. Information and pricing on bonds are not easily searchable. Every time I force myself to look at asset allocation, the robotic tools I use scream at me that I am mad in that I zero fixed income. This brought me to look at bond ETFs and I acquired some USHY which looked decent, but that doesn’t quieten those pesky AI tools that help self-directed investors.
Is SRLN a reasonable enough proxy to add to the fixed income part of one’s portfolio? Or is it risky compared to other available US$ bond ETFs? I’d welcome substance in your response and if you care to add links to materials that pedestrian investors like me should look at, that could help. Many thanks.
5i Research Answer:
It's a senior loan ETF, so it is still higher risk than a high credit quality bond fund. If looking for something to add a bit of diversification and stability, we might keep it a bit simpler with a more traditional bond fund like XBB or even XHY.