Lipper Fixed Income Fund Market Insights Jeff Tjornehoj

While Treasury-related funds suffered substantial losses, munis, junk, and others managed to claw back some gains after a rough ride at the end of 2008.

Year to date bond funds have really sold off with just a few high quality darlings able to keep their heads above water, as Treasury and GNMA fund types remained in the black in August. The Fed continued its struggle to find the right tools to support the economy while providing confidence to bond investors. Jeff explains how current market trends impacted bond funds this month.

Bond fund holders realized the old adage that "what goes up, must come down" as former darlings like
treasuries and Ginnie Maes became victims of their own success. Bolstered confidence in the economy slowed the flight to
safety in April. Jeff explains how current market trends impacted bond funds this month.

Weak equities caused investors to seek the relative safety of bonds in January which sent fixed income funds to superlative gains across many classifications. Learn how recent actions by the Fed and other events contributed to this upsurge.