194. What do Birkenstock, eBay, recycling and litigation all have in common?

Lucy Isles, co-manager of Baillie Gifford High Yield Bond fund, discusses her investments in the bonds of Birkenstock, the owner of eBay and Gumtree, a French recycler and a litigation business. She explains why bonds have struggled in 2022 and how investors could expect high yield bonds to behave in an inflationary or recessionary environment and reveals why the team has invested in an Indian mobile company.What's covered in this episode: Bond market returns so far this yearWhy fixed income has struggled in 2022Why the manager thinks it has been an inflationary sell-off, not a recessionary sell-offIf capital losses can be offset by income generationHow high yield behaves in a high inflation or recessionary environmentLending money to Birkenstock and a French recyclerThe Asian high yield marketWhy the manager likes a bond in the Indian mobile marketMaking money from lending to eBay and GumtreeInvesting in litigationMore about the fund:Baillie Gifford High Yield Bond fund offers investors access to a portfolio of predominantly UK, US and European high yield bonds. The managers, Robert Baltzer and Lucy Isles, focus almost entirely on stock picking, so the portfolio is likely to be concentrated and turnover low, as they back their ideas with conviction and give them time to come to fruition. They are looking for resilient businesses that can survive the full business cycle and can improve their financial health. Learn more on fundcalibre.comPlease remember, we’ve been discussing individual companies to bring investing to life for you. It’s not a recommendation to buy or sell. The fund may or may not still hold these companies at the time of listening. Elite Ratings are based on FundCalibre’s research methodology and are the opinion of FundCalibre’s research team only.Learn more on fundcalibre.comPlease remember, we’ve been discussing individual companies to bring investing to life for you. It’s not a recommendation to buy or sell. The fund may or may not still hold these companies at the time of listening. Elite Ratings are based on FundCalibre’s research methodology and are the opinion of FundCalibre’s research team only.