J.P. Morgan Asset Management is bullish on high-quality fixed income, saying the current rate backdrop is giving investors a rare opening to add exposure. The firm’s view is that buyers can earn attractive yields in investment-grade corporate bonds without taking on excessive credit risk.
Top-quality corporate bonds are yielding about 6.5%
In an interview with CNBC, J.P. Morgan Asset Management investment manager Priya Misra said investors can currently get roughly 6.5% yields from the highest-quality corporate bonds issued by strong borrowers. That, she said, means investors do not need to move into high-yield bonds just to seek stronger returns.
Misra also said the firm has recently started extending portfolio duration as the interest-rate cycle gets closer to its endpoint. At the same time, it has modestly increased exposure to some BB- and single-B-rated debt to capture potential opportunities created by wider credit spreads.
Bonds seen as a way to reduce concentration in AI and tech holdings
Misra said many investors are dealing with a familiar portfolio problem: too much exposure to artificial intelligence and technology stocks. Fixed income, by comparison, offers a wider range of return streams. That includes U.S. Treasury trading as well as corporate credit tied to industries outside tech.
She said that kind of diversification can help stabilize portfolio swings and add protection when the broader economy turns volatile or when a single sector goes through a correction.
Corporate fundamentals and private credit also drew attention
BondBloxx co-founder Joanna Gallegos expressed a similar view, saying bond-market yields remain at historically attractive levels. She said adding corporate bonds to a portfolio can support steady cash flow when company balance sheets remain strong and the economy is still growing.
Gallegos also pointed to the development of private credit and collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, as giving investors a broader set of defensive income options in fixed income markets.
High rates are still pressuring some sectors
The analysis also warned that elevated rates continue to weigh on specific parts of the economy, including real estate. Investors, it said, still need to assess macro conditions and the fundamentals of individual issuers with care.

