Bethany Payne, co-manages the four-star rated Janus Hnderson Index-Linked bond fund with Andrew Mulliner. She joined the firm in 2006 as an assistant manager on hedge funds and later assumed the role of quantitative analyst. The fund she currently manages enjoys a five-year annualised return of over 8% and is up 14% year to date. Top 10 holdings are Gilts (UK goverment bonds).
What does the fund do?
Invests in index-linked government bonds as well as other fixed income investments across the globe including money market funds and derivatives.
What’s the position you’re currently excited about in the portfolio?
Bonds issued by the Bank of Mexico. We saw a deterioration in the country's economy and thought the Bank of Mexico wouldn’t be able to continue its path of rate hikes so we invested. We were right and the bank had started to cut rates by the summer.
What is your best investment?
Early on in my career I invested time creating my own quantitative models - algorithms that help to make investment decisions. I still use these today and it has helped me to spot opportunities when the market is mispriced.
And what’s the worst?
UK government bonds last year – there was a sudden negative shift in the market and everyone rushed to exit their trades, including us. We saw a strong move in the yield curve, only for it to trade back the following week. It taught me to be wary of crowded positions.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?
To continuously challenge my views.
What do you do in your spare time?
I have two little sleep thieves at home, aged two and four, so I don’t get a lot of free time. But when I do, I like to research subjects that interest me and play piano.
If I weren’t a fund manager…
I love problem solving and biology, so I would be in a lab researching medicines.
What’s the best thing about this industry?
We’re constantly analysing new information and datasets – it’s a challenging and exciting environment to work in. I also get to finish the day at a reasonable hour so I can have a good balance between work, family and friends.
And what’s the worst?
That there still isn’t enough diversity within the industry and, while there are a lot of initiatives in place to change this, we still have a long way to go.