iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

HYG

Market cap $19.2B

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, joined host Nate Geraci this week on ETF Prime to preview five key ETF stories to watch in 2026 following a record year that saw nearly $1.5 trillion in net inflows.

It will be hard to top 2025 for the ETF industry following a record $1.49 trillion of net inflows. But a year doesn't need to break records to be remarkable.

BDC net investment income levels are declining as the Fed lowers rates. Despite lower base rates, I see no reason to rotate out of the BDC sector. In the article I detail how BDCs have outperformed the S&P 500 and high yield credit even in prolonged low-rate environments.

My portfolio goal is sustainable, stress-free income—prioritizing safety over chasing high yields. Even though it might be very tempting, tilting investments towards 10%+ yields is not the smartest thing to do. The historical stock market annual return figure is around 10%, which is very difficult to meet for income investors, who are usually concentrated into fixed income factor (lower return potential).

HYG (iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF) offers steady carry with limited volatility, tracking the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index. About half the portfolio is pro-cyclical, making HYG sensitive to economic cycles but offering reliable income with 17 years of consecutive dividends. Current macro conditions—narrowing credit spreads, resilient economy, and anticipated rate cuts—support a medium-term outlook for capital gains plus carry.

Yield for traditional income sources have started to compress. For income-oriented investors, who seek to build a reliable passive income machine it causes a real headache. To hit a certain target income figure, investors have to assume either higher risks, extend time horizon or save/invest more capital.

The theme of Don Kaufman's (@Theotrade) Big 3 revolves around what he considers shaky all-time highs. He explains how "financial plumbing issues" will create a flush in Goldman Sachs (GS) and the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG), and how Amazon (AMZN) ran too high on A.I.

Corporate bonds that are below investment grade status may be less likely to default now. But investors still need to be careful.

The current economic environment is marked by persistent inflation and a weakening labor market, raising uncertainty and risk for investors. Despite these risks, large-cap equities, tech stocks, and high-yield credit continue to climb, defying expectations of repricing. Income-focused assets like real estate, financials, dividend growth (SCHD), and quality CEFs (UTG, PDI) now offer lower yields as well.

The iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) is doing relatively well this year, and is hovering at its all-time high as demand among investors jumped. HYG stock was trading at $81.23, up by 10% above the lowest level this year.