The BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA), which VanEck Vectors Fallen Angels High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL) seeks to track, will implement a rule change on September 30 raising the minimum amount outstanding permissible for each bond issue from $100 million to $250 million. As a result, approximately 7.4% of the current Index will be eliminated. We see this as a positive move that should help improve the overall liquidity of the Index’s universe, while imposing relatively minimal impact on potential performance and composition.
Improving Liquidity by Removing Small Holdings
The rule change will help promote the Index’s liquidity by eliminating a number of very small components that tend to be less liquid and difficult to trade relative to larger issues. This is likely to have two very positive effects. First, market makers in the ANGL ETF will no longer see bond issues smaller than $250 million in creation and redemption baskets, with positive ramifications for their estimated cost of trading those baskets. Second, eliminating hard-to-trade smaller positions from the underlying Index could help improve ANGL’s tracking error, as the ETF may now be more closely aligned with the Index’s constituency.
Little Impact to Performance, Yield, and Duration
Based on the Index’s historical return profile, we anticipate that the rule change is likely to have minimal impact on Index performance. A closer look at the smaller positions expected to be removed from the Index, reveals that they contributed approximately 130 basis points (bps), or just 1.3%, of the Index’s 22.4% year-to-date total returns. We also note that the yield and duration of the ETF and Index are expected to remain little changed once the smaller bond issues are cut.
Sector and credit composition should be minimally impacted as well. Sixteen out of the eighteen Merrill Lynch Level III sectors’ allocations will likely be trimmed between 0.06% and 0.90%. The automotive sector’s allocation, which was only 0.27% of the Index, would be 0%. In terms of credit quality, we feel the impact of the rule change is minimally positive. The BB-rated group is estimated to remain approximately 75% of the Index, while the lower end of the credit spectrum should decrease slightly, as shown in the table below.
Estimated Credit Quality Impact from Index Rule Change
Source: BofA Merrill Lynch.
Based on data as of August 31, 2016. Estimates excluded current bond issues with face values under $250 million. Estimates are not guaranteed and may not reflect actual Index characteristics following rule change. Composite ratings are based on the simple averages of ratings from Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch. This composite is not intended to be a credit opinion.
A Positive Enhancement for Investors
We view the Indexer’s decision to raise the minimum amount outstanding for its eligible Index constituents as favorable for investors of VanEck Vectors Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL). The enhancement is expected to eliminate the smaller, less liquid positions with what appears to be a minimal impact on potential performance and composition.
Authored by Meredith Larson, Product Manager, VanEck VectorsTM ETFs
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE
Source of all data: BofA Merrill Lynch, FactSet. Data as of August 31, 2016. Fallen angels are high yield corporate bonds that are originally issued with investment grade credit ratings, and are represented by the BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA). The broad high yield bond market is represented by BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0).
Duration is a measure of the sensitivity of the price of a fixed-income investment to a change in interest rates.
Tracking error is the divergence between the price behavior of a position or a portfolio and the price behavior of a benchmark.
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BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA) is a subset of the BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0), including securities that were rated investment grade at time of issuance. BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0) is comprised of below-investment grade corporate bonds (based on an average of Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch) denominated in U.S. dollars. The country of risk of qualifying issuers must be an FX-G10 member, a Western European nation, or a territory of the U.S. or a Western European nation.
Performance and characteristics of the BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA) are quoted throughout this material. H0FA is representative of the entire fallen angel high yield corporate bond market. H0FA does not represent the performance or yield of the VanEck Vectors Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF.
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