Performance Commentary | April 2023
For April 2023, the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) had a gross return of 0.42% and a net return of 0.39%. Its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index* (Bloomberg Aggregate or Benchmark), reported a return of 0.61% for the month.
The performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Periods over one year are annualized. Investment results and principal value will fluctuate so that units in the HIT, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. The HIT’s current performance data may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available from the HIT’s website at www.aflcio-hit.com. Gross performance figures do not reflect the deduction of HIT expenses. Net performance figures reflect the deduction of HIT expenses and are the performance returns that HIT’s investors obtain. Information about HIT expenses can be found on page 1 of the HIT’s current prospectus.
Positive contributions to HIT’s relative performance vs. Bloomberg Aggregate* included:
| · | The portfolio’s ongoing yield advantage over the Bloomberg Aggregate. On April 30, 2023, the HIT had a relative yield advantage of 82 basis points (bps). |
| · | The portfolio’s underweight to agency-insured, fixed-rate single family mortgage-backed securities (MBS), the worst performing major asset class in the Benchmark on both an excess and total return basis. The portfolio was underweight to the sector with a 13.6% allocation compared to 27.0% in the Bloomberg Aggregate. |
| · | The portfolio’s overweight to adjustable-rate securities as rates continued to rise. The HIT had an allocation of 12.9% to adjustable-rate securities at the end of the month while the benchmark only has fixed rate securities. |
April 2023 Portfolio Commentary
Negative impacts to HIT’s relative performance vs. Bloomberg Aggregate* included:
| · | The portfolio’s underweight to corporate bonds, the best performing major sector on both an excess return and total return basis, posting an excess return of 18 bps and total return of 77 bps for the month. The HIT does not invest in corporate bonds, whereas the sector comprised 24.5% of the Benchmark on April 30, 2023. |
| · | Performance by agency multifamily MBS in the HIT’s portfolio as nominal spreads to Treasuries widened. FHA/Ginnie Mae permanent (PLC) and construction/permanent (CLC) loan certificates widened to Treasuries by approximately 5 bps each. Spreads on longer maturity Fannie Mae DUS security structures widened, with the benchmark 10/9.5s wider by approximately 6 bps. The HIT portfolio had an allocation of 4.7%, 12.0% and 22.0% to CLCs, PLCs and fixed-rate single-asset Fannie Mae DUS securities, respectively at the end of the month. There were no such securities in the Bloomberg Aggregate. |
| · | The portfolio’s overweight to the highest credit quality sector (i.e. AAA-rated) of the investment grade universe, whose excess returns were the lowest among the four credit ratings buckets (AAA, AA, A and BBB) of the Bloomberg Aggregate. Those returns were -22, 45, 33, and 48 bps, respectively. Approximately 88.8% of the HIT portfolio was either AAA-rated or carried a government or GSE guarantee, compared to 73.0% for the Bloomberg Aggregate. |
| · | Performance by Ginnie Mae REMIC structures in the HIT’s portfolio as spreads to Treasuries widened by approximately 4 bps during the month. On April 30, 2023, the portfolio had a 12.5% allocation to REMICS. |
* Information provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited. BLOOMBERG® is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (collectively “Bloomberg”). Bloomberg or Bloomberg’s licensors own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg Indices. Bloomberg does not approve or endorse this material or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information herein, nor does Bloomberg make any warranty, express or implied, as to the results to be obtained therefrom, and, to the maximum extent allowed by law, Bloomberg shall not have any liability or responsibility for injury or damages arising in connection therewith.
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April 2023 Portfolio Commentary
Market Data
April 2023 Bond Sector Performance
| Sector | Absolute Return | Excess Return (bps) | Modified Adjusted Duration |
| U.S. Treasuries | 0.54% | 0 | 6.28 |
| Agencies | 0.45% | 2 | 3.37 |
| Single family agency MBS (RMBS) | 0.52% | -10 | 5.93 |
| Corporates | 0.77% | 18 | 7.23 |
| Commercial MBS (CMBS) | 0.86% | 25 | 4.53 |
| Asset-backed securities (ABS) | 0.50% | 16 | 2.87 |
Source: Bloomberg L.P.
Change in Treasury Yields
| Maturity | 3/31/23 | 4/30/23 | Change |
| 1 Month | 4.403% | 4.087% | -0.316% |
| 3 Month | 4.693% | 5.030% | 0.337% |
| 6 Month | 4.857% | 5.001% | 0.144% |
| 1 Year | 4.591% | 4.740% | 0.149% |
| 2 Year | 4.025% | 4.006% | -0.019% |
| 3 Year | 3.788% | 3.716% | -0.072% |
| 5 Year | 3.573% | 3.483% | -0.090% |
| 7 Year | 3.531% | 3.457% | -0.074% |
| 10 Year | 3.468% | 3.422% | -0.046% |
| 20 Year | 3.795% | 3.799% | 0.004% |
| 30 Year | 3.650% | 3.673% | 0.023% |
Source: Bloomberg L.P.
Investors should consider the HIT’s investment objectives, risks and expenses carefully before investing. Investors may view the HIT’s current prospectus, which contains more complete information, on its website at www.aflcio-hit.com and may obtain a copy from the HIT by calling the Marketing and Investor Relations Department collect at 202-331-8055. Investors should read the current prospectus carefully before investing. The Bloomberg Aggregate is an unmanaged index and is not available for direct investment, although certain funds attempt to replicate this index. Returns for the Bloomberg Aggregate would be lower if they reflected the actual trading costs or expenses associated with management of an actual portfolio.
This document contains forecasts, estimates, opinions, and/or other information that is subjective. Statements concerning economic, financial, or market trends are based on current conditions, which will fluctuate. There is no guarantee that such statements will be applicable under all market conditions, especially during periods of downturn. It should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any kind. The calculations of the HIT yield herein represent widely accepted portfolio characteristics information based on coupon rate, current price and, for yield to worst, certain prepayment assumptions, and are not current yield or other performance data as defined by the SEC in Rule 482.
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April 2023 Portfolio Commentary
Portfolio Data On April 30, 2023
| Net Assets | $6,329.60 million | |||
| Portfolio Effective Duration | 5.96 years | Convexity | 0.238 | |
| Portfolio Average Coupon | 3.32% | Maturity | 10.59 years | |
| Portfolio Yield to Worst1 | 5.17% | Portfolio Current Yield1 | 3.67% | |
| Number of Holdings | 929 | Average Price2 | 89.82 |
Sector Allocations: 3
| Multifamily Investments | 80.41% | CMBS – Agency Multifamily** | 67.29% | |||
| Agency Single-Family MBS | 14.02% | Agency Single-Family MBS | 14.02% | |||
| U.S. Treasury | 3.74% | U.S. Treasury Notes/Bonds | 3.74% | |||
| AAA Private-Label CMBS | 0.82% | State Housing Permanent Bonds | 4.45% | |||
| Cash & Short-Term Securities | 1.00% | State Housing Construction Bonds | 3.91% | |||
| Direct Construction Loans | 5.59% | |||||
| Cash & Short-Term Securities | 1.00% | |||||
| **Includes multifamily MBS (59.22%), MF Construction MBS (7.25%), and AAA Private-Label CMBS (0.82%). | ||||||
| Quality Distribution: 3 | ||||||
| U.S. Government or Agency | 85.15% | |||||
| AAA | 2.61% | |||||
| AA | 5.65% | |||||
| A | 0.00% | |||||
| Not Rated | 5.59% | |||||
| Cash | 1.00% | |||||
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Portfolio Duration Distribution, by Percentage in Each Category: 3 |
Maturity Distribution (based on average life): | ||||||||
| Cash | 1.00% | 5-5.99 years | 18.76% | 0 – 1 year | 5.54% | ||||
| 0-0.99 years | 17.28% | 6-6.99 years | 12.07% | 1 – 2.99 years | 6.50% | ||||
| 1-1.99 years | 2.39% | 7-7.99 years | 9.00% | 3 – 4.99 years | 12.46% | ||||
| 2-2.99 years | 3.39% | 8-8.99 years | 3.64% | 5 – 6.99 years | 21.48% | ||||
| 3-3.99 years | 7.48% | 9-9.99 years | 0.82% | 7 – 9.99 years | 38.70% | ||||
| 4-4.99 years | 10.97% | Over 10 years | 13.18% | 10 – 19.99 years | 10.50% | ||||
| Greater than 20 years | 4.82% | ||||||||
1 The calculations of the HIT yield herein represent widely accepted portfolio characteristics information based on coupon rate, current price and, for yield to worst, certain prepayment assumptions, and are not current yield or other performance data as defined by the SEC in Rule 482.
2 Portfolio market value weighted by current face.
3 Based on value of total investments and includes unfunded commitments but does not include U.S. treasury futures contracts.
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