June 2021: U.S. Monthly Pension Monitor

Funded status falls due to decline in discount rates

June Market Summary

  • Average funded status decreased by 0.7% to 98.1% in June: Assets returned 2.2% while a decrease in discount rates increased liabilities by 3.0%.¹
  • U.S. equity markets posted their fifth consecutive positive month: The S&P 500 soared another 2.2% in June and is now up 14.4% since the start of the calendar year.
Market Watch Dec 2019 Dec 2020 May 2021 June 2021
Funded status 90% 90% 99% 98%
CITI discount rate2 3.01% 2.23% 2.79% 2.59%
Long Credit yield2 3.63% 2.78% 3.30% 3.08%
U.S. 30Y TSY yield 2.39% 1.64% 2.28% 2.09%
S&P 500 3,231 3,756 4,204 4,298
  • The yield on the Bloomberg Barclays Long Credit Index fell 22 basis points (bps): Long credit spreads tightened 4 bps while long treasury yields dropped 18 bps.¹
  • New issue concessions have been close to flat: New Investment Grade corporate bond issuance has been met with robust demand, a sign of strong appetite for corporate debt in the current low rate and tight credit spread environment.

Spotlight: Fed meeting sparks a hint of uncertainty in the markets  

  • While the Federal Reserve held steady at the June FOMC meeting as expected, its guidance for potential future rate hikes was interpreted as more hawkish than some had expected.
    • A majority of the 11 Federal Reserve officials expressed the intention for at least two interest rate hikes in 2023.
    • St. Louis Federal Reserve President Bullard even went as far as publicly stating, “I would put us starting in late 2022”.
    • This more hawkish stance caught the market by surprise as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has repeatedly stated they felt that higher inflation is merely transitory. 
  • The markets reacted swiftly to the uncertainty, with the 30-year rate falling by as much as 27 bps to a low of 2.01%, before retracing back up to 2.06%.
    • Notably, the 5s/30s curve flattened by 28 bps, its largest single monthly change since 2014.
  • Recent volatility highlights how fleeting funded status gains can be. Average funded status, which was near full funding in May, is now back down to 98.1%.
  • Amidst the volatility, the correlation between CCC and BBB spreads has fallen from 0.8 to 0.3, and the breakdown of the relationship is often seen prior to periods of credit market uncertainty.
    • We believe this environment emphasizes the importance of working with active asset managers whose style allows them to outperform in potential down markets.

Milliman Pension Funding Index (June Estimate) 

¹Funded Status for the month of June is estimated and subject to change as final numbers are released. Data from reference Bloomberg Barclays Indices.

²The CITI discount rate corresponds to the FTSE short pension liability index. June 2021 is estimated based on the yield change on the BBgBarc Long AA Corporate Index. The Long Credit yield corresponds to the BBgBarc Long Credit Index.

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About SLC Management

SLC Management is the brand name for the institutional asset management business of Sun Life Financial Inc. (“Sun Life”) under which Sun Life Capital Management (U.S.) LLC in the United States, and Sun Life Capital Management (Canada) Inc. in Canada operate.

Sun Life Capital Management (Canada) Inc. is a Canadian registered portfolio manager, investment fund manager, exempt market dealer and in Ontario, a commodity trading manager. Sun Life Capital Management (U.S.) LLC is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser and is also a Commodity Trading Advisor and Commodity Pool Operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act and Members of the National Futures Association.

BentallGreenOak, InfraRed Capital Partners (InfraRed), Crescent Capital Group (Crescent), and Advisors Asset Management are also part of SLC Management.

BentallGreenOak is a global real estate investment management advisor and a provider of real estate services. In the U.S., real estate mandates are offered by BentallGreenOak (U.S.) Limited Partnership, who is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, or Sun Life Institutional Distributors (U.S.) LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) . In Canada, real estate mandates are offered by BentallGreenOak (Canada) Limited Partnership, BGO Capital (Canada) Inc. or Sun Life Capital Management (Canada) Inc. BGO Capital (Canada) Inc. is a Canadian registered portfolio manager and exempt market dealer and is registered as an investment fund manager in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

InfraRed Capital Partners is an international investment manager focused on infrastructure. Operating worldwide, InfraRed manages equity capital in multiple private and listed funds, primarily for institutional investors across the globe. InfraRed Capital Partners Ltd. is authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Crescent Capital Group is a global alternative credit investment asset manager registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. Crescent provides private credit financing (including senior, unitranche and junior debt) to middle-market companies in the U.S. and Europe, and invests in high-yield bonds and broadly syndicated loans.

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UK Tax Strategy - InfraRed (UK) Holdco 2020 Limited

InfraRed (UK) Holdco 2020 Ltd is the UK holding company of InfraRed Partners LLP and a subsidiary of Sun Life (U.S.) Holdco 2020 Inc, which has its headquarters in the U.S. The company was incorporated to purchase InfraRed Partners LLP and acts solely as a passive holding company. The Tax Strategy for the InfraRed Holdco Group sets out our approach to the management of InfraRed Holdco Group UK tax affairs in supporting business activities in the UK. 

This UK tax strategy is published in accordance with the requirements set out in Schedule 19 of Finance Act 2016. The strategy, which has been approved by the Board of Directors of InfraRed (UK) Holdco 2020 Ltd, is effective for the period ending 31 December 2024. It applies to InfraRed (UK) Holdco 2020 Ltd and its dormant subsidiary Sun Life (UK) Designated Member Ltd, referred to as the “InfraRed Holdco Group”. InfraRed Holdco Group.