bonds

A safer way to guard your portfolio against inflation

For investors worried about rising prices, it's a good time to consider Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities.

By Janice Revell, contributor

FORTUNE -- Nothing stokes inflation fears like the prospect of the Federal Reserve pumping unlimited amounts of new money into the economy. And in September the Fed said it would do just that, announcing an open-ended program to buy billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities each month until the employment picture improves. MORE

It's time to get choosy about junk bonds

Investors seeking income are flocking to high-yield bonds, prompting fears of a bubble. Here's how to minimize your risk.

By Janice Revell, contributor

FORTUNE -- There's a raging bull market in junk bonds these days. Thanks to the Federal Reserve's ongoing efforts to juice the economy with ultralow interest rates, income-starved investors have been flocking to riskier, but higher-yielding, corporate bonds. Many observers are now warning of a bubble. However, it's MORE

4 ways investors can (still) find yield

With interest rates near zero, attractive dividend-paying investments are harder than ever to find. Here are four areas for income-starved investors to look.

FORTUNE – If you went looking for a high-yielding investment a few years ago, you might have stumbled upon something called a revertible. The Wall Street concoction, also called a reverse convertible, seemed like easy money. Revertibles offered extremely high yields, as much as 13%, without having to MORE

Rob Arnott is going abroad for growth

His strategies are used to manage $100 billion - and he's seeing hopeful signs in emerging markets.

FORTUNE – Rob Arnott is one of the few major investors who buys and sells almost any asset anywhere in the world. Not only does he manage Pimco's $27 billion All Asset Fund (PASAX), but as chairman of Research Affiliates he has also devised strategies used to manage $100 billion. Arnott is the father MORE

Here comes the bear market for bonds

What Scott Minerd of Guggenheim Partners is doing to prepare for the lean times in fixed-income investing.

Interview by Amy Feldman, contributor

FORTUNE -- Guggenheim Partners chief investment officer Scott Minerd is a financial-history buff with a record of making dramatic predictions. In 2005 he warned clients of a looming cataclysm, and then was buying bonds again by October 2008. Those calls have helped the firm -- founded by the grandson of MORE

Why you shouldn't buy bonds anytime soon

You'd have to be a psychic to know where stocks are headed, but you don't need a crystal ball to know that corporate bonds are a bad bet.

FORTUNE -- It's one of those eternal truths. Just as you can be sure that daffodils and forsythia will blossom this time of year, you can be sure that mutual fund investors will collectively act like blooming idiots by doing the wrong thing MORE

Warren Buffett: Why stocks beat gold and bonds

In an adaptation from his upcoming shareholder letter, the Oracle of Omaha explains why equities almost always beat the alternatives over time.

By Warren Buffett

FORTUNE -- Investing is often described as the process of laying out money now in the expectation of receiving more money in the future. At Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) we take a more demanding approach, defining investing as the transfer to others of purchasing power now with MORE

How to make money on negative yields

German bonds yields are below zero, but it may not be so crazy to pay for the privilege of loaning a country money.

FORTUNE – Would you pay someone to give them a loan? That's essentially what's happening in Germany right now -- German short-term bills turned negative earlier this week, meaning investors will not only forgo returns on German debt, they'll actually end up with less money when the bonds MORE

New global hot spots for investors

As U.S. and European economies struggle, investors looking for healthy returns might consider emerging markets.

By Richard McGill Murphy, contributor

FORTUNE -- Today, essentially two global economies exist side by side. The U.S. and its advanced peers continue to struggle with high unemployment, idle capacity, depressed housing markets, and anemic growth. Credit remains tight in much of the developed world, despite historically low interest rates. Debt-laden European nations pose heightened risk for MORE

Where do I put my money now?

Markets up. Markets down. Turmoil in Europe. You can't even trust bonds these days. What's an investor to do? Our man's solution: simple and boring.

FORTUNE -- It's never easy to answer the question that Fortune poses in its annual Investor's Guide: Where should you put your money now? The response, of course, depends on your individual situation -- your finances, your goals, your tolerance for risk, your time horizon, and MORE