Our approach
Strategic bond funds can offer investors exposure to many different areas of fixed income such as government, corporate and high-yield bonds, offering portfolio diversification. However, strategic bond funds come in many flavours. The strategic bond sector is one with a high dispersion of returns, inconsistent performance, and high correlation with the high-yield market.
Our Strategic Bond Fund has a long track record managed with a consistent process and team. We invest in the best ideas across global fixed income markets using a long-term, fundamentally driven approach within a focused portfolio. We seek to provide clients with superior risk-adjusted returns through market cycles and minimise drawdowns during periods of volatility.
Potential benefits
The Aviva Investors Strategic Bond Fund represents a compelling option for investors seeking to outsource their fixed income decision making to a truly global team of bond specialists. The fund is designed to provide a strategic anchor for a core fixed income allocation:
Single solution
The fund is a convenient solution for investors looking to gain diversified exposure across global fixed income markets in a standalone strategy.
Global
The fund can invest globally, accessing a wide opportunity set to construct a portfolio that can perform throughout market cycles. However, it is important to note that at least 80 per cent of the portfolio’s assets will either be sterling-denominated or hedged back to sterling.
Total return focus
Long-term outperformance with less risk. Fixed income investing involves asymmetric risks that are skewed to the downside – in other words, the potential losses are greater than the potential gains. This can result in a tendency to focus on avoiding defaults. However, when trying to maximise total returns, identifying winners is also crucial.
Strategic Bond Fund strategies
Aviva Investors Strategic Bond Fund
A total-return fixed income solution that utilises a flexible, unconstrained approach across global bond markets, seeking to deliver long-term excess returns.
Strategic Bond Fund team
Chris Higham
Senior Portfolio Manager
James Vokins
Head of Investment Grade Credit and Core Income
Key risks
For further information on the risks and risk profiles of our funds, please refer to the relevant KIID and Prospectus.
Investment risk
The value of an investment and any income from it can go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the original amount invested.
Illiquid securities risk
Certain assets held in the fund could, by nature, be hard to value or to sell at a desired time or at a price considered to be fair (especially in large quantities), and as a result their prices could be very volatile.
Credit risk
Bond values are affected by changes in interest rates and the bond issuer's creditworthiness. Bonds that offer the potential for a higher income typically have a greater risk of default.
Derivatives risk
The fund uses derivatives; these can be complex and highly volatile. Derivatives may not perform as expected, which means the fund may suffer significant losses.
Convertible securities risk
Convertible bonds can earn less income than comparable debt securities and less growth than comparable equity securities, and carry a high level of risk.
Fixed income views
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Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
12 Dec 2025
In the last Bond Voyage edition of 2025, we examine the vast amounts of capital being deployed to build new high-capacity data centres and how the expenditure is being funded in the bond markets.
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Boosting low-carbon investment in the UK: 2025 Roadmap Update
11 Dec 2025
In 2024, we outlined our view on the most important public-policy interventions to unlock private investment in the low-carbon economy. In this update, we take stock of policy developments since, and look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
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Purposeful run-on: A credible alternative to buyout
5 Dec 2025
Discover why purposeful run-on is emerging as a credible alternative to buyout for well-funded defined benefit (DB) pension schemes – and how it can unlock long-term value while keeping clients' needs at the centre.
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Beyond buyout: Why DB schemes are reconsidering their endgame
4 Dec 2025
Significant shifts in the defined benefit (DB) pension schemes landscape mean that as schemes mature, trustees and sponsors now face a broader spectrum of strategic choices. We explain why the choice between buyout and run-on is no longer binary.
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Rethinking risk in EMD: The great inversion on emerging markets
28 Nov 2025
Market and economic trends are challenging the idea that emerging market (EM) bonds should trade at a discount to developed economy debt.
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UK Budget – Snapshot reaction: Budget calms gilts; weak data seen leading to faster rate cuts
27 Nov 2025
Chief UK economist, Vasileios Gkionakis, gives his initial reaction to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget, offers an assessment of the state of the economy and public sector finances, and outlines what it might mean for interest rates and sterling-denominated assets.
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Multi-asset chart of the month for November
25 Nov 2025
It's not just the Magnificent Seven who have been benefitting from the AI investment boom.
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Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
10 Nov 2025
This month’s Bond Voyage looks at the Bulk Purchase Annuity (BPA) market in the UK – the quiet market making loud moves.
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Benchmarking cash: A survey of cash trends
14 Oct 2025
In this article, the first of a two‑part series, members of our liquidity team explore cash trends in a rapidly evolving financial landscape for corporate treasurers.
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Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
9 Oct 2025
In this month’s Bond Voyage, we introduce SHIELD – the downside protection framework used by our fixed income division. SHIELD is designed to ensure our portfolios remain resilient in challenging market conditions while maintaining capital efficiency.
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From niche to core: Asset-based finance emerges as a driving force as private debt markets continue to evolve
7 Oct 2025
Asset-based finance is capturing the attention of institutional investors – from pension schemes to insurers – thanks to its diverse risk-return drivers and its growing role as a strategic building block in investors’ portfolios.
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Multi-asset chart of the month for September
17 Sep 2025
This month’s chart looks at the Magnificent Seven group of stocks and explores whether – rather than being a bubble akin to the dotcom era – their high valuations are justified by high earnings.
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Energy-intensive industries: Unlocking low-carbon investment
16 Sep 2025
Vital industries for UK growth like steel or cement are also energy intensive, and their decarbonisation is essential. We convened a roundtable of experts to discuss barriers and solutions to unlocking low-carbon investment opportunities.
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Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
9 Sep 2025
In this month’s Bond Voyage, our Solutions team investigates the reasons behind the widening gilt-swap spread and its implications for government bond investors, in particular for insurance companies.
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Bond Voyage: A journey into fixed income
5 Aug 2025
In this month’s Bond Voyage, our solutions team explores the implications of a “higher for longer” US interest rate environment and what it could mean for investment grade (IG) investors.
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Multi-asset chart of the month for July
25 Jul 2025
This month’s chart highlights why a home bias could be counter-productive for UK investors given the continued underlying strength of US companies.
Need more information?
For further information, please contact our investment sales team.
Explore our fixed income range
The Investment Manager endeavours to comply with the requirements of the UK Stewardship Code when managing the Funds’ assets. Stewardship is the responsible allocation, management and oversight of capital to create long-term value for investors leading to sustainable benefits for the economy, the environment and society. Environmental (particularly climate) and social factors, in addition to governance, have become material issues for fund managers to consider when making investment decisions and undertaking stewardship. The Investment Manager therefore considers a range of financial and non-financial information when assessing investments and to inform its stewardship activities, including considering the potential or actual material risk that sustainability issues may have on an investment. For more information on how the Investment Manager carries out this activity and meets the requirements of the UK Stewardship Code, as well as details about Aviva Investors’ firmwide policy, please see our website: Policies and documents - Aviva Investors