Open Platform: Axis of Analytics

No longer the preserve of the specialist funds, fund managers in the broad fixed-income space have moved swiftly up the derivatives curve in the past five years. They are using interest-rate swaps, futures, credit default swaps (CDSs) and inflation swaps on a regular basis, in recognition of the benefits they offer: Derivatives can be the cheapest way to gain a desired position.

If, for example, fund managers want a certain duration, they can get a bond. But if the liquidity isn’t there, they