Those who have followed my posts know I am not a huge fan of bond funds in a rising-rate environment. Why is this?
For those who track bond funds, it's not a surprise. In a rising-rate environment, when rates rise, the NAV on the bond fund decreases. In some cases, the decrease in the NAV can equal or exceed the monthly dividend in the fund. Some wags call that "dead money".
Back when interest rates were on a tear, after the election, I had to gulp every day as the NAV on VBTLX decreased. Now, interest rates have apparently settled down, but my concerns with respect to bond funds have not diminished.
Long-term, I suspect we are in a rising-rate environment. That means bond funds will under-perform, and CD ladders will out-perform. While the NAVs of bond funds are adversely affected by rising rates, CD ladders are not.