Fund Manager Chat: Global Senior Secured Bonds, Chris Sawyer–Barings

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Chris Sawyer, manager of the Barings Global Senior Secured Bond Fund, outlines his case for this asset class.

Chris discusses how senior secured bonds differ to broader high-yield bonds and examines how their place in a company’s capital structure affects their performance characteristics. He also outlines factors influencing his regional and sector positioning and explains his portfolio composition in the current interest rate and macroeconomic environment.

Chris also considers the positioning of the business and credit-default cycle and how the extra principal protection offered by secured bonds may have been overlooked by traditional high-yield investors.

Running Order

Chris is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on May 30, 2019.

About Chris Sawyer

Chris Sawyer, Barings

Chris Sawyer is a member of Barings’ European High Yield Investments Group and serves as a member of the European High Yield Investment Committee.

Chris is responsible for the portfolio management of several high yield strategies and also manages the firm’s European high yield trading operations. Chris has 13 years of industry experience, joining Barings in 2005.

Prior to joining the Trading team in 2008, Chris worked in the Portfolio Monitoring team where he was responsible for the performance analysis of individual portfolio assets.

Chris holds a BSc in Economics and Business Finance from Brunel University