One of the best ways to make money over the long term is to keep losses to a minimum. In the world of fixed income, that means buying more of the debt that is likely to pay out and avoiding the debt of the countries, companies or organisations least able to pay it back. In today’s environment – characterised by increased volatility, growth concerns and rapidly shifting geopolitics – that task is even harder, and the importance of fundamental credit analysis ever more apparent.  

It is also the sort of environment in which active fixed income managers demonstrate their value by being selective. Rather than replicating indices weighted toward those companies that have issued the most debt, active fixed income managers can choose only the instruments they believe are least likely to default.

Discover our range of active fixed income investment managers:

Fixed income doesn’t always move in the opposite direction to equities, a fact that many older investors were painfully reminded of in 2022 and one younger investors had yet to learn. For decades, as rates and yields fell, bond prices rose and the fixed income asset class was a reliable hedge for riskier assets like stocks. Now inflation has returned, interest rates have risen and market volatility has grown. 

And while short-term rates are now falling, there is little to suggest that the world is about to become much less volatile – whether because of geopolitics, climate change, ageing populations or war. And so, while fixed income can still be a good hedge, experience matters, as does flexibility.

If you are looking for short-term exposure:

If you are looking for flexible exposure:

According to the 2025 Mid-year strategist survey, treasury market turmoil was the top-ranked risk for the second half of 2025 by Natixis Investment Manager's strategists. 

There is no denying that worries about the sustainability of US sovereign debt have increased in recent months, but many think that claims of the decline of US exceptionalism are likely overdone.  

If you are looking for access to the European Credit market: 

If you are looking for flexible exposure:

One of the key questions any fixed income investor has to ask is: how exposed to interest rate risk do I want to be? With cash returns high in recent months many investors have been happy to keep duration short, as the additional risk didn’t offer sufficient additional potential yield. But, according to the 2025 mid-year strategist survey, the majority of Natixis Investment managers’ strategists are forecasting between 1 to 2 cuts by the Fed, ECB and the BoE before the end of the year, while 24% believe we may see as many as 3 to 4 cuts from the Fed.* As such there are also arguments in favour of  diversifying into slightly longer duration exposure. 

From duration-agnostic European credit exposure: 

To total return credit strategies that actively manage duration:

Whatever your appetite for duration risk, we have experts that can help. 

Whether you are looking for money market funds, short-term exposure or something altogether more flexible, we believe we have the solution that will give you the liquidity you need without having to compromise on your longer-term return objectives.  

If you are looking for ultra short-term exposure: 

If you are looking for short-term EM exposure: