iShares Systematic Bond ETF

SYSB

Market cap $674M

The ECB cut rates by 25bp as widely anticipated, but a slightly hawkish tilt bear flattened the EUR curve, which in our view remains priced aggressively. In the US, as the markets head towards the Fed's first rate cut, the probability of a larger cut rose slightly on Thursday.

It generally takes a few years for changes in Federal Reserve rates to fully impact bond fund dividends. Bond funds are still benefitting from prior rate hikes. Perhaps by enough to cancel out any future rate cuts. By my estimations, and under current Fed guidance, most bond funds would only start to see declining dividends in 2025, at the earliest.

Although 14 new ETFs debuted in the U.S. this past week, closure announcements came in even stronger, largely due to Global X pruning its lineup. Launches during the week included funds from BondBloxx, WisdomTree, Innovator, JPMorgan, and Range ETFs.

The last full week of the year was a busy one, with 18 new ETFs launching. Among the rolled-out funds were offerings from Texas Capital, PlanRock, PGIM, John Hancock, SP Funds, Bancreek, KB Asset Management, ProShares, and WisdomTree.