Dynamic Bond Funds

When the financial market remains unstable for prolonged periods, investors often shy away from investing. A better alternative will be to take advantage of these market movements. 

Dynamic bond mutual funds allow you to benefit from interest rate movements by generating returns. Read on to know more about dynamic bond funds, how they work, and factors to consider before investing.

Dynamic bond funds are debt-oriented mutual funds designed to alter the tenor of the securities based on interest fluctuations. The money is mainly invested in gilts, corporate bonds, treasury bills and other government securities. 

 

These are dynamic in composition, as assets are juggled between short-term and long-term bonds. As a result, these funds also become dynamic in terms of their maturity period or investment timeline.

The investment objective of a dynamic bond fund is to earn optimal returns in falling as well as rising market cycles. To achieve this, the fund manager monitors market movements and predicts the direction of the interest rates. 

 

The income you stand to earn from these funds depends largely on the fund manager's ability to read the market correctly. If the fund manager expects a fall in interest rates, he can switch to long-term bonds. 

 

Likewise, if he feels interest rates have reached their lowest point and can only rise going forward, he can switch to short-term bonds. 

 

This impacts the maturity period, meaning the investment may peak at any time.

There are a couple of unique benefits you stand to enjoy by investing in dynamic bond funds. They are as follows:

• Interest Earnings

The price of bonds and interest rates are inversely related. This means that if the interest rate is falling, the value of the bond increases. And if the interest rate is rising, then bond prices fall. 

 

If the fund manager is adept enough to quickly move to suit changes in the market, you can earn interest income in both scenarios. 

• Free from Debt Fund Mandates

Generally, debt funds have to follow a prescribed investment mandate. For example, long duration funds can invest only in long-term securities and bonds. This does not apply to dynamic bond funds, which are free to be invested in any security for any period. 

 

It depends only on the interest rate movement and the fund manager’s prediction.

While these funds may seem like the perfect instrument to counter changing interest rate cycles, there are a few drawbacks to be considered before investing.

• Heavy Dependency on Fund Manager

The fund manager’s experience and understanding of the market are extremely crucial for the success of these funds. Hence, make sure you do sufficient research, scoping out the fund manager’s previous performances. 

• Investment Horizon of 3 Years or more

To enjoy the fund's unique benefit of changing fund allocation, you might need to stay invested for at least 3 to 5 years.

Since this fund is different from most other debt instruments, there are a few things to be considered before investing. These are:

• NFOs

Since New Fund Offers are fresh entrants in the market, there is no historical data available to gauge its performance. Hence, it is better to stay away from dynamic bond fund NFOs. 

• The Impact of Macroeconomics

Market fluctuations are caused by a mix of factors, such as political turbulence, fiscal deficit, changing policies, falling oil prices and much more. While investing in dynamic bond mutual funds, you have to stay abreast of these changes and prepare to stay invested for the long run.

You can opt for these funds if you have an investment horizon of around three to five years and have a moderate risk tolerance. While the risk is slightly high by debt fund standards, the returns are also proportionately higher. 

 

It is also suitable if you do not have much of an idea about interest rate movement and want to rely on the expertise of a fund manager. 

You can explore different mutual funds, and compare returns on Bajaj Markets. Compare multiple options and choose a fund that best aligns with your financial objectives.