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Summary of Investment Objective

The Global Government Bond Fund seeks to maximise total return. The Fund invests at least 70% of its total assets in investment grade fixed income transferable securities issued by governments and their agencies worldwide. Currency exposure is flexibly managed.

Fund Manager's Report (as at Jul 31, 2010)

The Fund underperformed its benchmark over the month.
July was a period of recovery in risk assets, however, government bonds remained well bid as interest rate forecasts were ratcheted down. In this environment, our underweight duration position did not work, and our yield curve flattening position in USD rates detracted from performance. Currency positions contributed positively to performance, especially our tactical long EUR versus USD position established in late June. In non-government sectors, our positions in financial capital securities rallied significantly on the month and were the most significant positive contributors to portfolio performance.

During July, we made modest tactical trades to portfolio duration and country positioning, and no major change to our yield curve flattening position. The main change to our country positioning was a modest overweight position in Spanish government bonds, on which we partially took profit. In currency markets, we took partial profit on our long EUR versus USD position and cut our losses on a short position in AUD. Finally, we took advantage of the strong rally in corporate credit markets, notably in financials, to take profit on some of our higher beta, best performing holdings.

Global government bond markets performed surprisingly well during the July rally in risk assets, which signals a deep-seated pessimism in the bond market. However, yields are already around all-time lows, and the US Treasury market is already pricing in a Japan-type scenario, with Jan 2012 fed funds futures at 56 basis points despite a consensus Q3 growth forecast around 3%. In our view, global rates markets need several of the following things to happen if they are to continue to march lower in yield: i) significantly poorer economic data raising the odds of a double-dip recession, ii) a marked acceleration of the current disinflation trend towards outright deflation, iii) an equity market correction, or iv) decisive central bank intervention such as quantitative easing.

Fund Fact (as at Jul 31, 2010 )

Status Sub-Fund of Luxembourg SICAV
Fund Manager Andrew Gordon/ Brian Weinstein
Launch Date May 13, 1987
Base Currency USD ($)
Additional Dealing Currencies EUR (€)
Benchmark CWGBI - US$ Hedged
Morningstar Sector Fixed Income USD-Government
Total Fund Size (m) USD ($) 641.4
Average Yield to Maturity (%) 2.20%
Average Maturity (years) 9.0
Average Duration (years) 5.8
EUSD Fund Attributes
EUSD Fund Status in scope, distributions and redemptions
Information Source Portfolio Composition
Application Threshold >40%
Holding in Debt Claims 93.57%
Grandfathered Bonds Held 1.79%
Application Start Date Jan 1, 2010
Application End Date Dec 31, 2010
TID 0.000000000
Last Distribution Date Aug 19, 2010
Fees %
Annual Management Fee (A shares) 0.90
Initial Charge (A shares) 5
Codes
ISIN LU0006061385
Bloomberg Equity Ticker MIGSDGI LX
Reuters Page Id BLRKIJ
Swiss Valoren Number 618488
CUSIP L1049H779
Research Ratings
S&P Fund Management Rating A
Fund Risk Statistics
Name 3 Years 5 Years Since Launch
Beta 0.73 0.77 0.95
Volatility (Annualised Standard Deviation)
Global Government Bond Fund 3.0% 2.7% 4.2%
CWGBI - US$ Hedged 3.3% 3.0% 3.3%

Risk Grading

Low High

Important Information

The information on this website is available to Qualified Investors and Professionals in some jurisdictions on a limited private placement basis subject to applicable laws and regulations in the country of distribution. The information is confidential and should not be reproduced or distributed to persons other than the recipient.

The investment objective stated above is a summary of the main objectives of the Fund. Please refer to the BGF prospectus for full details.

A limited range of BGF sub-funds have a distributor status A share class that seeks to comply with UK Distributor Status requirements. Please contact the Manager for more information.

The fund invests a large portion of assets which are denominated in other currencies; hence changes in the relevant exchange rate will affect the value of the investment. The fund invests in fixed interest securities issued by companies which, compared to bonds issued or guaranteed by governments, are exposed to greater risk of default in the repayment of the capital provided to the company or interest payments due to the fund(s). The amount of credit risk is measured by the issuer’s credit rating which is assigned by one or more independent rating agencies. This does not amount to a guarantee of the issuer’s creditworthiness but provides a strong indicator of the likelihood of default. Securities which have a lower credit rating are generally considered to have a higher credit risk and a greater possibility of default than more highly rated securities. Companies often issue securities which are ranked in order of seniority which in the event of default would be reflected in the priority in which investors might be paid back. The fund invest in fixed interest securities such as corporate or government bonds which pay a fixed or variable rate of interest (also known as the ‘coupon’) and behave similarly to a loan. These securities are therefore exposed to changes in interest rates which will affect the value of any securities held. The fund may invest in structured credit products such as asset backed securities (‘ABS’) which pool together mortgages and other debts into single or multiple series credit products which are then passed on to investors, normally in return for interest payments based on the cash flows from the underlying assets. These securities have similar characteristics to corporate bonds but carry greater risk as the details of the underlying loans is unknown, although loans with similar terms are typically packaged together. The stability of returns from ABS are not only dependent on changes in interest-rates but also changes in the repayments of the underlying loans as a result of changes in economic conditions or the circumstances of the holder of the loan. These securities can therefore be more sensitive to economic events, may be subject to severe price movements and can be more difficult and/or more expensive to sell in difficult markets. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and should not be the sole factor of consideration when selecting a product. All financial investments involve an element of risk. Therefore, the value of your investment and the income from it will vary and your initial investment amount cannot be guaranteed. .

BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) is an open-ended investment company established in Luxembourg which is available for sale in certain jurisdictions only. BGF is not available for sale in the U.S. or to U.S. persons. Product information concerning BGF should not be published in the U.S. It is recognised under Section 264 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited is the UK distributor of BGF. Most of the protections provided by the UK regulatory system, and the compensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, will not be available. A limited range of BGF sub-funds have a distributor status A sterling share class that seeks to comply with UK Distributor Status requirements. Subscriptions in BGF are valid only if made on the basis of the current Prospectus, the most recent financial reports and the Simplified Prospectus which are available on our website. Prospectuses, Simplified Prospectuses and application forms may not be available to investors in certain jurisdictions where the Fund in question has not been authorised.

Sources: Fund – BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited (BIM(UK)L), Indices - Datastream, BIM(UK)L. Quartiles - Standard & Poor's. BIM(UK)L Risk Grading: High Risk (on a scale of Low, Medium, Medium/High and High). This grading applies to Funds with emerging market, small capitalisation, or narrowly focused/concentrated equity mandates, which may restrict liquidity and increase the volatility of returns. It should only be used for comparison with other BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) and, in particular, should not be used in comparison with Funds not provided by BIM(UK)L. The grading is indicative of the level of risk of a particular Fund and is not supposed to be a guarantee of likely returns. If you are in any doubt as to the level of risk that you should take, you should seek Independent Advice. BIM(UK)L Risk Grading: Medium Risk (on a scale of Low, Medium, Medium/High and High). This grading applies to Funds with exposure to capital market risk but where any equity exposure is balanced by exposure to high-quality bonds. It should only be used for comparison with other BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) and, in particular, should not be used in comparison with Funds not provided by BIM(UK)L. The grading is indicative of the level of risk of a particular Fund and is not supposed to be a guarantee of likely returns. If you are in any doubt as to the level of risk that you should take, you should seek Independent Advice.Performance is shown as at Jul 31, 2010 in USD on a NAV price basis with income reinvested. Fund performance figures are calculated net of fees.