A sound investment process and strong management team underpin iShares Agency Bond ETF's Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze. The portfolio maintains a sizable cost advantage over competitors, priced within the least expensive fee quintile among peers.  

 The strategy's sensible investment philosophy merits a High Process Pillar rating. Independent of the rating, analysis of the strategy's portfolio shows it has maintained an overweight in government bonds and debt with 15- to 20-year maturities compared with category peers. The strategy’s management team earns an Above Average People Pillar rating. The strategy's parent organization earns the firm an Above Average Parent Pillar rating. People Pillar and Parent Pillar ratings for this strategy are indirectly assigned by a Morningstar analyst rather than algorithmically derived. Please see the notes following each pillar section for more details. The details of assigning methods can be found in each pillar section.

Analyst Rating

iShares Agency Bond ETF earns a High Process Pillar rating. Morningstar's evaluation of this security's process aims to determine the likelihood that it will outperform its Morningstar Category benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. The main driver of the rating is that this fund tracks an index. Historical data, such as Morningstar's Active/Passive Barometer, finds that passively managed funds have generally outperformed their active counterparts, especially over longer time horizons. Impressive risk-adjusted performance also contributes to the process. This can be seen in the fund's five-year alpha calculated relative to the category index, which suggests that the process was successful over that period. The firm's five-year retention rate of 92% supports the rating as well.

The investment strategy as stated in the fund's prospectus is: 

The investment seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. Agency Bond Index.  The index measures the performance of the agency sector of the U.S. government bond market and is composed of investment-grade U.S. dollar-denominated publicly-issued government agency bonds or debentures. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the index and TBAs that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the component securities of the index.  

 This strategy's 12-month yield is 3.3%, lower than its average peers' 3.8%. In addition, it has a 4.7% 30-day SEC yield (a standardized, point-in-time estimate of the fund’s future income return). A lower yield tends to indicate lower credit risk. But that isn't always the case. Over the past 12 months, the average yield of the fund has been lower than the average yield of its Morningstar Category peers. The portfolio's average surveyed credit quality is on par with peers, with both the fund and the average being rated AA. In terms of long-term interest-rate risk, this strategy is on par with peers. The longer a strategy's duration, the more sensitive it is to shifts in interest rates. This fund, with a 3.2-year duration, is expected to gain 3.2% of its net asset value if interest rates drop by 1 percentage point, and vice versa.

High

Process

iShares Agency Bond ETF's strong fixed income team drives the strategy's Above Average People Pillar rating. There are two managers listed on the fund: Karen Uyehara, James Mauro. The team is well equipped, with an average of 14 years of portfolio management experience. Together, they manage a total of 114 strategies, with a Bronze asset-weighted algorithmically-assigned average Morningstar Medalist Rating, demonstrating their potential to deliver positive alpha relative to the category median in aggregate.  

 Note: This People Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. Morningstar analysts evaluate the People Pillar for passive products at the brand level and may also differentiate by asset class. There is at least one other passive strategy at the firm that is covered by a Morningstar analyst, so the People Pillar rating of the fund is inherited from the rating that the Morningstar analyst assigned to investment vehicles under the same brand name.

Above Average

People

BlackRock offers compelling options across asset classes and vehicles. It earns an Above Average rating for Parent. 
The firm’s approximately USD 8 trillion in assets under management, as of Sept. 30, 2022, gives it unparalleled scale and influence. It is a market-leading index fund provider globally, and its iShares exchange-traded fund franchise offers a low-cost lineup of core funds that investors can use to build a well-diversified portfolio for dirt cheap. The firm can be more adventurous in its ETF launches than some peers, so not everything it launches is appropriate for the masses. As a result, it is likely to have more ETF closures than peers that stick to the basic building blocks.  
The firm’s active fixed-income and multi-asset efforts also stand out as some of the best in the industry. Those benefit from BlackRock’s commitment to building a first-class risk management system via its Aladdin analytics software. The software is also available for sale to other firms and has proved to be a popular option for competitors, a testament to its usefulness. 
More recently, the firm has shifted its focus to ESG offerings and incorporating ESG across its investment lineup, leading to a political backlash in the United States.
BlackRock isn’t the best at everything it tries to do, but retail investors, financial advisors, and large institutions could all build robust portfolios using BlackRock’s products.

Parent

iShares Agency Bond ETF

AGZ tracks a market-value-weighted index of agency debt owned or issued by the US government or its affiliates.

iShares National Muni Bond ETF

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF

Though I'll likely be branded a doomsayer, the current stock market trend of monthly record-breaking runs seems unsustainable. The market, while intended for the exchange of currency for potential future gain, is still made of people – people who often make emotional and irrational decisions with their money.

Bonds That Won't Bail on You: 3 Rock-Solid Picks for Steady Income

CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF

Xtrackers MSCI China A Inclusion Equity ETF

SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF

Global X China Biotech Innovation ETF

Global X MSCI China Communication Services ETF

Global X China Energy ETF

Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF

Global X China Industrials

Global X MSCI China Information Technology ETF

Global X MSCI China Large Cap 50 ETF

Global X China Materials ETF

Global X China Consumer ETF

Global X MSCI China Real Estate ETF

Global X MSCI China Consumer Staples ETF

Global X MSCI China Utilities ETF

Global X China Financials ETF

Loncar China Biopharma ETF

Xtrackers MSCI All China Equity ETF

VanEck Vectors ChinaAMC SME-ChiNext ETF

iShares MSCI China A ETF

Invesco China Technology ETF

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

Barclays Bank iPath US Treasury 5-Year Bear Exchange Traded   Note 2011-12.7.21 Ser -A- Lkd to BC 2Y US Trsry Futs Trgtd Expsre

Barclays Bank iPath US Treasury 2-year Bull Exchange Traded   Notes 2010-13.8.20 Ser -A- Lnk to BC 2Y US Treasury Futures Trg Ex

Barclays Bank iPath US Treasury 2 Yr Bear Exchange Traded

Barclays Bank iPath US Treasury 10 Yr Bull Exchange Traded    Notes 2010-13.8.20 Sr-A Lk Barclays Cap 10Y US Trs Fut Trgt Exp Id

iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF

Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury ETF

BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund

iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF

First Trust China AlphaDEX Fund

iShares U.S. Fixed Income Balanced Risk Factor ETF

Franklin FTSE China ETF

Franklin FTSE Hong Kong ETF

Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF

iShares China Large-Cap ETF

Goldman Sachs TreasuryAccess 0-1 Year ETF

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF

iShares 25+ Year Treasury STRIPS Bond ETF

Invesco Ultra Short Duration ETF

SPDR S&P China ETF

iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF

KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A Share ETF

KraneShares CICC China 5G & Semiconductor Index ETF

KraneShares CICC China Leaders 100 Index ETF

Kraneshares MSCI China Environment Index ETF

KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 Index ETF

KraneShares Hang Seng Tech Index ETF

KraneShares MSCI All China Health Care Index ETF

KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF

First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF

First Trust Low Duration Opportunities ETF

iShares MSCI China ETF

Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF

Invesco 1-30 Laddered Treasury ETF

ProShares UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury

Rayliant Quantamental China Equity ETF

ProShares Inflation Expectations ETF

Schwab Short-Term US Treasury ETF

Schwab Long-Term US Treasury ETF

Schwab Intermediate-Term US Treasury ETF

iShares Short Treasury Bond ETF

iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF

SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF

SPDR Portfolio Short Term Treasury ETF

Barclays Inverse US Treasury Composite ETN

Proshares Short 20+ Year Treasury

ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury

ProShares Short 7-10 Year Treasury

iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X Shares

Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bear 3X Shares

ProShares UltraPro Short 20+ Year Treasury

Direxion Daily 7-10 Year Treasury Bull 3x Shares

Direxion Daily 7-10 Year Treasury Bear 3x Shares

ProShares Ultra 20+ Year Treasury

Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bearish Fund

WisdomTree Bloomberg US Dollar Bullish Fund

ProShares Ultra 7-10 Year Treasury

Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF

PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon US Treasury Index ETF

The deficit spending that supported the economy in 2020 is showing up in hot inflation numbers in 2021. While I think the inflation numbers will get better in 2022, I do not believe they will get back to pre-pandemic levels because of owners' equivalent rents and wage gains in the CPI.

Mind The Bond Market

Inflation expectation is a key metric the Fed watches closely. Housing costs - based on different measures of rents - account for one-third of CPI.

Inflation Expectations Come Unanchored

This Agency Bond ETF has hit a new 52-week high. Are more gains in store?

Agency Bond ETF (AGZ) Hits New 52-Week High

Aware Ultra-Short Duration Enhanced Income ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders 1-5 Year US Aggregate Bond ETF

Blackrock Income Trust

PIMCO Active Bond ETF

Invesco Treasury Collateral ETF

iPath US Treasury Long Bond Bear ETN

iPath US Treasury 10-year Bear ETN

Barclays Bank iPath US Treasury Flattener Exchange Traded     Notes 2010-13.8.20 Ser -A- Lnkd to BC US Treasury 2Y/10Y Yld Curve

News for iShares Agency Bond ETF ETF (AGZ)