The top-down investment process begins with PIMCO’s annual Secular Forum, during which the firm develops a three- to five-year outlook for the global economy and interest rates. This helps set the basic portfolio parameters, including duration, yield-curve positioning, sector weightings, credit quality breakdown and individual issue selection. The Fund focuses on securities in the upper tier of the below-investment-grade credit spectrum, which historically have delivered the best risk/return profile. Consideration of yield is only one component of the portfolio manager’s approach; PIMCO also considers capital appreciation and principal preservation through intensive fundamental, macroeconomic, industry and company-specific research. Finally, non-traditional sectors are employed in small doses to enhance return and increase diversification.
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