VPU Performance v.004

Months Elapsed: 4
Total Growth: 9.20%
Annualized Growth Rate: 30.22%
Distribution Yield (TTM): 3.06%

The 30-year Treasury yield has risen from 1.67% in December to 2.30%. In hindsight, investing in utilities was a much better plan than locking in a 1.67% yield (the red target in the chart). Since I am not even remotely convinced that the long-term bull market in government bonds is over, those locking in 2.30% today might not be similarly disappointed though. That said, it would take a lot to be similarly disappointed. 30 years at 1.67% nets so much less than 30 years at 2.30%.

I suspect one short-term tailwind for utility investors to diminish as Treasury yields stabilize. Picture a recent safety-seeking retiree invested in low-yielding bonds who is looking at massive losses on those bonds, while also watching higher-yielding utilities actually going up in price. Painful. Is it any wonder that some therefore sold government bonds to buy utilities? As utility prices rise and Treasury prices fall, there is a growing temptation for me to sell utilities to buy government bonds though. The 30-year TIPS yield is currently only 0.02%, so the temptation is still very minimal.

4 months down, 196 to go.