iShares 10+ Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

IGLB

Market cap $2.61B

IGLB faces significant downside risk as investment-grade spreads are at their tightest since 1998, leaving little room for further tightening. Long-dated yields may remain elevated even if the Fed cuts rates, due to inflation and macroeconomic pressures, limiting capital gains potential for IGLB. The ETF's heavy exposure to lower investment-grade bonds (A/BBB) increases vulnerability to spread widening and potential drawdowns.

IGLB offers diversified exposure to long-duration, investment-grade US corporate bonds with attractive yields but heightened interest rate sensitivity and equity-like volatility. A likely Fed rate cut in September 2025 could boost IGLB's value, as each 0.25% cut may drive a 3% price appreciation for the ETF. Node Analytica's proprietary stress index signals a benign market environment, supporting stability for long-term bonds and reducing near-term downside risk.

I recommend de-risking stock market exposure by adding fixed income, specifically the iShares 10+ Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF. IGLB offers a higher yield with investment-grade bonds, providing a good hedge against downturns while maintaining exposure to corporate America. The ETF is well-diversified across sectors, has a low expense ratio, and holds over 3,700 bonds with an average yield to maturity of 5.72%.

The significant duration means sensitivity to rate upside, which, we think, is exacerbated with Trump incoming. There is also no value angle around credit spreads when they're already at historical lows. Tariffs assure some measure of inflation, and retaliations would make that even worse. We'd look away from inflation bets, which, we think, will continue to underperform.

The first cut is the deepest — so they say. As with all complicated relationships, this mantra may certainly ring true for the Federal Reserve and the markets — at least from a psychological standpoint.

A record amount of money has flooded into the U.S. corporate bond markets this year, as investors rush to lock in the highest yields years ahead of the Fed rate cuts.

It's not really possible to call long-term rates, which matter for this long-duration ETF. Although we explain some factors.

We had previously suggested IGLB as the better choice to Sleep Well At Night over SWAN. We examine the performance of the two since our last article. We tell you why we think outlook for both funds has deteriorated.

iShares 10+ Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF is becoming more attractive as the Federal Reserve pauses rate increases. Investment-grade bonds offer lower risk and lower interest rates compared to high-yield bonds. IGLB provides diversification, attractive yield, and mitigates some interest rate risk but still carries credit risk.