Sunday, 16 March 2025

Investing Updates : Mari Invest Income Review – 6% yield on cash, better buy than T-Bills? PIMCO GIS Income Fund wrapper


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Apple Intelligence : 


Product Description: Mari Invest Income is a new product from Mari Bank that invests in PIMCO GIS Income Fund.


Yield Comparison: The underlying fund pays about 5-6% yield, which is higher than the current 2.56% yield of 6-month T-Bills.


Key Features: Managed through the MariBank app, minimum investment of S$1, no transaction or ongoing fees charged by Maribank.


Fund Objective: Seek high current income with a secondary objective of long-term capital appreciation.


Investment Strategy: Employs a broad range of fixed income securities to generate income and diversify risk.


Benchmark: Tracks the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate (SGD Hedged) Index, representing the U.S. investment grade bond market.


Fund Composition: A significant portion (36%) is invested in Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) mortgage-backed securities, with the remainder in US government bonds, bank bonds, and corporate investment-grade credit.


Safety Concerns: Investors are concerned about the safety of the fund due to the large allocation to FNMA mortgage-backed securities, particularly given the performance of these securities in 2008.


Performance Prediction: An AI system predicts the performance of MBS in 2025.


Investment Safety: Fannie Mae MBS are considered relatively safe investments due to their government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) status and implied federal support.


Risk Profile: Slightly riskier than fully government-backed Ginnie Mae MBS but safer than private-label MBS, with risks including prepayment uncertainty and minimal credit risk.


Performance Comparison: Comparable to Freddie Mac’s offerings and favored by investors seeking stable, low-risk fixed-income assets.


Bond Fund Returns Volatility: Bond fund returns are volatile due to daily bond price fluctuations influenced by interest rates.


Return Components: Returns from bond funds consist of two components: changes in bond prices and coupon payments (dividend yield).


Interest Rate Impact: When interest rates rise, bond prices fall, impacting the fund’s returns negatively. Conversely, falling interest rates can boost returns.


Distribution Yield: Approximately 5% after fees, with the underlying bonds having a 6.4% annualized distribution yield.


Fees: MariBank charges no transaction or ongoing fees, while the PIMCO GIS Income Fund Admin SGD Hedged fund manager charges a 1.05% annual management fee.


Endowus Fees: Buying the PIMCO GIS Income Fund via Endowus results in a 0.55% fund level fee after trailer fee rebate and a 0.30% Endowus fee.


Fee Comparison: Mari Invest Income has a 1.05% fee, while an alternative platform offers a lower fee of 0.85%.


Investment Risk: Mari Invest Income / PIMCO GIS Income Fund Admin SGD Hedged carries risks, including potential default of underlying bonds and mark-to-market losses due to interest rate fluctuations.


Risk Compensation: The 5-6% coupon yield of Mari Invest Income / PIMCO GIS Income Fund Admin SGD Hedged may be a fair compensation for the risk associated with investment-grade US corporate credit.


Interest Rate Impact: Downward pressure on interest rates benefits the fund, while upward pressure could lead to mark-to-market losses.


Default Risk: Corporate defaults are unlikely in the absence of a severe recession.


Investment Consideration: Investors should view the fund as a REIT equivalent with potential for capital losses when interest rates rise.


Investment Strategy: Consider a diversified approach to cash management, including risk-free options, short-term funds, high-yield savings, and potentially higher-yield investments like Mari Invest Income.


Long-Term Perspective: Holding investments like Mari Invest Income / PIMCO GIS Income Fund Admin SGD Hedged for a longer period allows distribution yield to potentially offset capital losses.


Liquidity Needs: Maintain a diversified portfolio to ensure access to funds when needed.

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