Fixed Income Replacement

Low risk doesn't  have to mean low returns. Think It New.

The Challenge

It’s time to rethink the traditional approach to fixed income.

Traditional sources of income, such as government and investment grade corporate bonds, have struggled to generate sufficient returns and diversification to meet the evolving needs of retirees, pensions and long-term institutional investors.

Two charts illustrating how the US retirement age population is growing to be 80+ million by 2040 (estimated) while the percentage of US retirement assets held in defined benefit pension plans is decreasing from 48% in 2000 to only 31% in 2023.

The Opportunity

Private credit has the potential to provide investors with enhanced returns per unit of risk. 

We believe private investment-grade credit has been overlooked because it doesn’t fit neatly into the traditional asset allocation framework which has not kept up with the pace of innovation in credit markets.

This asset class can provide higher yielding, more diversified and less correlated exposure to public markets, offering a new way of thinking about fixed income generation.

Two charts illustrating the passive funds as a percentage of the public credit market increasing to 37% over the past nine years  and the excess return of active vs. passive corporate credit funds comparing 2016 to 2023.

Background

The landscape of investment-grade public fixed income has shifted, becoming more fragmented and increasingly driven by fund flows and passive investment vehicles.

The conventional assumption that private investments inherently carry more risk than public investments — in terms of liquidity, transparency, regulation, and issuer quality — is growing increasingly outdated, in our view.

If your investment goals have a long-term horizon, is illiquidity a risk to you? In reality, most fixed income investors don’t need fully daily liquid portfolios. By prioritizing liquidity over yield, investors may be sacrificing return potential without a corresponding benefit to their actual investment needs.

four pie charts showing the evolution of asset allocation. From foundations in 1930-1980 to the Age of 60/40 in 1980-2000 to the Barbell Portfolio in 2001-2020 and now the Replacement portfolio model.

Zoom In

Traditional passive and active public fixed income strategies face inherent challenges:

  • Passive strategies replicate public benchmarks, delivering low-fee beta exposure.
  • Active public strategies contend with allocation constraints and limited capacity for index-diverging positions, impacting their overall performance.
John Zito

"Apollo's focus on private investment-grade credit puts us in a sweet spot, offering enhanced yield over public investment-grade benchmarks while maintaining credit quality and underwriting standards.” 

John Zito
Co-President, Apollo Asset Management

 

How Apollo is Thinking it New

As the integration of public and private assets in investment portfolios continues to accelerate, Apollo believes that investment-grade private credit will continue to play a growing role in supporting income generation and retirement security.

Origination

Through origination and structuring, Apollo seeks to deliver an enhanced yield over public investment-grade benchmarks, while maintaining credit quality and underwriting standards.

Asset-Backed Finance

Asset-backed finance has become a valuable complement to corporate lending. Credit that is secured by high quality assets, which can generate strong cash flows and be highly diversified, can mean strong credit performance, downside protection and low correlation to corporate credit performance.

Scale & Expertise

Apollo’s differentiated sourcing engine enables the origination of private assets, the majority of which are investment grade rated credit. Our scale and expertise support companies’ business and growth plans through tailored private financing solutions.

  

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The information herein is provided for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice, nor should any information in this document be relied on when making an investment decision. Opinions and views expressed reflect the current opinions and views of Apollo Analysts and are subject to change. 
 

1. Aged over 65. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Deloitte Insights. 
2. Source: ICI Retirement Institute. 
3. Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Data is based on estimates from sample of 8,689 funds.
4. Source: Morningstar’s Active/Passive Barometer, June 2023 & December 2016. Intermediate term bond fund performance equal weighted.
5. Source: Apollo Chief Economist