BNDX

Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) - $0.0461, LTCG of $0.089430-Day SEC Yield of 0.21% as of Dec. 18.Payable Dec 29; for shareholders of record Dec 24; ex-div Dec 23.

It's the holiday shopping season and in the spirit of the season, everyone loves a good deal. Well, everyone loves a good deal all year long and that's something exchange-traded funds issuers often oblige. BlackRock's iShares unit, the world's largest ETF sponsor, is adding some cheer to the season, announcing fee cuts on four of its well-known products.

Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) - $0.0452.30-Day SEC Yield of 0.24% as of Nov. 25.Payable Dec 04; for shareholders of record Dec 02; ex-div Dec 01.

MF Bond Report for VTABX

MF Bond Report for VTABX

International bonds have been eerily quiet over the past few months, signaling a potential low in long-term bond yields.The correlation between international bonds and international equities has turned positive, limiting the value of diversification.With a net-yield of about 32 bps, it would take two centuries for BNDX to earn back an initial investment (with compounding).There are many inflationary and deflationary forces today, but gold signals a long-term rise to inflation.The short-term outlook for BNDX is weak considering the ECB may stop buying long-term bonds.

Lipper categories with low risk and moderate to high yields are listed. Top-ranked funds within the categories are listed.Over a thousand funds are ranked using Mutual Fund Observer Screens based on risk, risk-adjusted returns, quality, momentum and yield.Top-ranked funds from Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and Vanguard are listed as well as other mutual fund families, exchange traded funds and closed end funds.Funds with low risk and yields above 2% are highlighted.

Central bank mandates are to target inflation, not to bankrupt central governments because they do not approve of fiscal policies.Central banks always have had to maintain their balance sheet sizes, and there were a number of test cases of quantitative easing over the past decades.A weaker Canadian dollar boosts exporters, creating the theoretical possibility of rebalancing the private sector away from housing.The Bank of Canada is boxed in because of debt, but Federal Government debt is not the source of concern.