How To Deal With Rising Rates - Most of us would agree to the fact that sudden increase in the interest rates almost makes us go crazy. This is because while enjoying the heydays of low interest rates, we hardly think of protecting our financial life from being affected by the sudden rise in interest rates. However, it is quite true that growing rates are a typical feature in the process of normal economic growth. Hence, keeping this in mind, you should always equip yourself against the unsteady economic changes from beforehand. Here are 5 things to do before interest rates go up:
i) Go for Shorter Bonds
It is natural that when interest rates go up, the price of bonds automatically decreases. What actually happens is that an increase in the interest rates badly affects the performance of bonds with longer durations. This is because longer duration bonds are more affected by changes in interest rates. Hence, you should always try to go for shorter duration bond holdings to get keep matters stable during growing interest rates.
ii) Overseas Tips
It is advised, irrespective of the status of interest rates, that you should have a part of your portfolio in foreign assets. The benefit of foreign bonds is that they do not get much affected even when the U.S. interest rates grow higher. Therefore, it would be good and wise of you to consider overseas financial security solutions to rely on during interest rate growth.
iii) Try Out for Floating-Rate Securities
Another good option for investors to try out is to consider floating-rate debt as a source of fixed income. Floating-rate securities include leveraged loans or adjustable bonds. One good thing about these securities is that the rates of interest on them are highly adjustable to the existing interest rate. As a result, whenever interest rates go up, the interest payments on them also increase.
iv) Think of Stocks
You may also find a proper solution in stocks during a situation of growing interest rates. It has often been found that industrial sectors and sections from information technology perform better in such situations. It is a natural thing to happen because interest rates usually grow when a country's economy is recovering after a recession. During the period when economy suffers, companies and industries become less productive. Hence, when the economic conditions return back to normal, interest rates get higher automatically which further accelerates the industrial productivity.
v) Buying a House or a Car
One of the simplest ways of keeping your financial status steady when interest rates go up is to buy a property like a house or buy any other asset like a car. Even though the rates of interest for such loans and mortgages do not move at the same pace as the existing interest rates, they do grow in general.
These basic tricks can help you overcome the trouble of experiencing a sudden rise in interest rates. Hence, never hesitate to follow any of these tricks because they are really useful and effective.