Global Income Trust (Class Y)  (PGGYX)

Seeking attractive bond investments across world markets since 1987

Global Income Trust received an  Overall Morningstar Rating™  of  
Global Income Trust (PGGYX)

Q2 2020 | Global Income Trust Q&A

  • Global risk assets rebounded sharply in the wake of March's market upheaval.
  • Corporate credit holdings and strategies targeting prepayment risk fueled the fund's relative performance. On the downside, active-currency strategies detracted.
  • As the second half of 2020 begins, investors will focus on economic data, corporate earnings, and signs of progress toward a coronavirus vaccine.

How did the fund perform for the three months ended June 30, 2020?

The fund's class Y shares gained 5.41%, outpacing the 3.32% return of the benchmark Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index.

What was the market environment like during the second quarter of 2020?

There was a massive reversal in both market sentiment and price levels across asset classes during the quarter. Fiscal and monetary stimulus, along with hopes of a sharp economic recovery, fueled the snapback. The U.S. Federal Reserve [Fed] began implementing a series of lending programs by making asset purchases across a variety of market sectors.

Against this backdrop, investment-grade corporate bonds and high-yield credit advanced 9% and 9.7%, respectively, as investors reembraced risk. Emerging-market debt did even better, jumping 12.3% in U.S.-dollar terms. Meanwhile, more defensive areas of the market lagged, including U.S. government securities, foreign sovereign debt, and agency mortgage-backed bonds. Interest rates were rangebound throughout the quarter, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note staying below 1%.

In April, oil prices briefly dipped into negative territory before rising on further supply cuts and hopes that demand will increase as the economy reopens. While the energy sector has been one of the biggest laggards for the year to date through June, it was by far the best-performing group in the second quarter. Other sectors that were negatively impacted by the coronavirus also recovered, except for airlines, which continued to struggle amid reduced demand for air travel.

Which holdings and strategies drove the fund's relative outperformance?

Our corporate credit holdings — primarily investment-grade — added the most relative value this quarter. Following a sizable widening of yield spreads in March, spreads tightened during the quarter. [Spreads are the yield advantage credit-sensitive bonds offer over comparable-maturity U.S. Treasuries. Bond prices rise as spreads tighten and decline as spreads widen.] Unprecedented stimulus measures implemented by government policymakers boosted investor confidence by helping to offset some of the near-term economic uncertainty sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

Strategies targeting prepayment risk also meaningfully contributed versus the benchmark, particularly our holdings of interest-only [IO] securities and bonds backed by reverse mortgages. As new issuance resumed following March's market upheaval, these positions benefited from improving supply-and-demand dynamics.

Emerging-market debt was a further notable contributor, especially positions in Uruguay, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil. As noted above, the sector rallied sharply in response to healthier risk appetite and demand for higher-yielding securities.

What about detractors?

The fund's active-currency strategies were the sole relative detractor over the past three months. Lower-than-benchmark exposure to several currencies that strengthened versus the U.S. dollar worked against our positioning. These included the Australian and Canadian dollars, as well as the euro.

What is your near-term outlook?

As the quarter came to a close, coronavirus cases began to reaccelerate, particularly in areas of the country that were the first to open. As a result, plans to fully reopen certain parts of the economy, such as restaurants and bars, have been put on hold in the areas most affected.

Amid stronger-than-expected economic reports, investors seem to be shrugging off the increase in infection rates, at least for now. As we begin the second half of 2020, it is likely that the coronavirus will continue to dominate the news. Investors, meanwhile, will remain focused on economic data, indications of progress toward a vaccine, and the impact of second-quarter earnings on corporate balance sheets.

How was the fund positioned as of June 30?

Reflecting the fund's relatively cautious overall positioning, we continue to hold securities across sectors that have less price sensitivity to changes in yield spreads.

Within corporate credit, the fund was modestly underweight investment-grade debt. Our emphasis here continues to be on security selection.

COVID-19 created significant headwinds for the CMBS market because commercial real estate is in the "eye of the storm." Uncertainty about the duration of social distancing measures makes for a challenging backdrop, particularly for hotel and retail properties, which have only recently begun reopening.

We believe most properties that were functioning well prior to the crisis and have reasonable levels of equity will survive, buoyed by government support, operator reserves, and/or debt-service modifications.

We continue to have conviction in the fund's CMBX positions, which we believe offer value at the single A and BBB levels for indexes representing 2012–2014 issuance. In addition, we think the relatively large sell-off in newer vintages has presented additional value in that part of the market.

In our view, prepayment-sensitive areas of the market directly benefit when there are increased frictions in the housing finance industry. Given the potential for a deepening of the recession, there are ongoing risks related to high unemployment, weaker projected home-price appreciation, lower home turnover, and reduced homeowner mobility. Even as the use of mortgage forbearance grows, cash flows to investors from agency mortgages are guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises. As a result, we continue to have confidence in the fund's holdings of interest-only collateralized mortgage obligations and inverse IOs backed by more seasoned collateral.

| Download the complete Q2 2020 fund Q&A

Highlights

Objective

The fund seeks high current income by investing principally in debt securities of sovereign and private issuers worldwide, including supranational issuers. Preservation of capital and long-term total return are secondary objectives, but only to the extent consistent with the objective of seeking high current income.

Strategy and process

  • Worldwide opportunities: The fund's managers search for attractive income securities from a broad range of sectors in U.S. and international markets.
  • Flexible risk allocations: The fund takes a unique approach to asset allocation, dynamically establishing diversified risk expo­sures rather than sector exposures.
  • Bottom-up approach: Security selection is the primary driver of returns, with sub-sector allocations and macro strategies also serving as potential alpha generators.

Fund price

 Yesterday’s close 52-week high 52-week low
Net asset value $12.50
-0.08% | $-0.01 		$12.63
03/06/20 		$11.29
03/20/20
(Optional)

Fund facts as of 09/30/20

Total net assets
$252.42M
Turnover (fiscal year end)
408%
Dividend frequency (view rate)
Monthly
Number of holdings
1235
Fiscal year-end
October
CUSIP / Fund code
74677Q604 / 1820
Inception date
10/04/05
Class Y  
Category
Fixed Income
Open to new investors
Ticker
PGGYX

Management team

D. William Kohli

Co-Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income

Michael J. Atkin

Portfolio Manager

Albert Chan, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Robert L. Davis, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Michael V. Salm

Co-Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income

Paul D. Scanlon, CFA

Co-Head of Fixed Income

Performance

  • Total return (%) as of 09/30/20

  • Annual performance as of 09/30/20

Annualized Total return (%) as of 09/30/20

Annualized performance 1 yr. 3 yrs. 5 yrs. 10 yrs.
Before sales charge 2.70% 3.31% 3.78% 3.13%
After sales charge N/A N/A N/A N/A
Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index 6.24%4.10%3.92%2.36%

Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. Share price, principal value, and return will vary, and you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. Performance assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Returns before sales charge do not reflect the current maximum sales charges as indicated below. Had the sales charge been reflected, returns would be lower. Returns at public offering price (after sales charge) for class A and class M shares reflect the current maximum initial sales charges of 5.75% and 3.50% for equity funds and 4.00% and 3.25% for income funds (2.25% for class A of Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund, Short-Term Municipal Income, Short Duration Bond Fund, and Fixed Income Absolute Return Fund), respectively. Class B share returns reflect the applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), which is 5% in the first year, declining to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter (except for Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund, Putnam Short Duration Bond Fund, Putnam Fixed Income Absolute Return Fund, and Putnam Short-Term Municipal Income Fund, which is 1% in the first year, declining to 0.5% in the second year, and is eliminated thereafter). Class C shares reflect a 1% CDSC the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Performance for class B, C, M, N, R, and Y shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class A shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and, except for class Y shares, the higher operating expenses for such shares (with the exception of Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund and Putnam Strategic Intermediate Municipal Fund, which are based on the historical performance of class B shares). Performance for class A, C, R6, and Y shares of Putnam Mortgage Opportunities Fund before their inception is derived from the historical performance of class I shares, which have been adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and the higher operating expenses for such shares. Returns at public offering price (after sales charge) for class N shares reflect the current maximum initial sales charge of 1.50%. Class R5/R6 shares, available to qualified employee-benefit plans only, are sold without an initial sales charge and have no CDSC. Class Y shares are generally only available for corporate and institutional clients and have no initial sales charge. Performance for class R5/R6 shares before their inception are derived from the historical performance of class Y shares, which have not been adjusted for the lower expenses; had they, returns would have been higher. Class A shares of Putnam money market funds have no initial sales charge. For a portion of the period, some funds had expenses limitations or had been sold on a limited basis with limited assets and expenses, without which returns would be lower.

Performance snapshot

  Before sales charge After sales charge
1 mt. as of 09/30/20 0.24% -
YTD as of 10/20/20 2.60% -

Yield

Distribution rate before sales charge
as of 10/20/20		 1.92%
Distribution rate after sales charge
as of 10/20/20		 1.92%
30-day SEC yield with subsidy
as of 09/30/20		 1.08%
30-day SEC yield without subsidy
as of 09/30/20		 0.75%

Risk-adjusted performance as of 09/30/20

Sharpe ratio (3 yrs.) 0.33
Information ratio (3 yrs.) -0.27

Volatility as of 09/30/20

Standard deviation (3 yrs.) 5.27%
Beta 1.08
R-squared 0.69

Lipper rankings as of 09/30/20

Time period Rank/Funds in category Percentile ranking
1 yr. 168/207 81%
3 yrs. 121/177 68%
5 yrs. 97/158 62%
10 yrs. 33/99 33%
Lipper category: Global Income Funds

Morningstar Ratings™ as of 09/30/20

Time period Funds in category Morningstar Rating™
Overall 182
3 yrs. 182
5 yrs. 169
10 yrs. 112
Morningstar category: World Bond

Distributions

Record/Ex dividend date 09/28/20
Payable date 09/30/20
Income $0.02
Extra income --
Short-term cap. gain --
Long-term cap. gain --

Lipper rankings are based on total return without sales charge relative to all share classes of funds with similar objectives as determined by Lipper. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

The Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

The up-market capture ratio is used to evaluate how well an investment manager performed relative to an index during periods when that index has risen. The ratio is calculated by dividing the manager’s returns by the returns of the index during the up-market, and multiplying that factor by 100. The down-market capture ratio is used to evaluate how well an investment manager performed relative to an index during periods when that index has dropped. The ratio is calculated by dividing the manager’s returns by the returns of the index during the down-market and multiplying that factor by 100.

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Holdings

Fnma Fn30 Tba Umbs 02.5000 11/01/2050 13.28%
Fnma Fn30 Tba Umbs 02.0000 11/01/2050 12.26%
Japan (10 Year Issue) 00.8000 09/20/2023 3.49%
Fnma Fn30 Tba Umbs 03.5000 10/01/2050 2.51%
Japan (30 Year Issue) 02.3000 03/20/2040 2.07%
Fnma Fn30 Tba Umbs 04.0000 10/01/2050 1.69%
European Investment Bank Gbp 05.6250 06/07/2032 1.53%
Fnma Fn30 Tba Umbs 03.5000 11/01/2050 1.25%
Uk Tsy 4 2060 Regs 04.0000 01/22/2060 1.25%
Japan (20 Year Issue) 02.3000 06/20/2027 1.23%
Top 10 holdings, percent of portfolio 40.56%

Fixed income statistics as of 09/30/20

Average effective maturity 10.71 yrs.
Average effective duration 6.85 yrs.
Average yield to maturity 3.04%
Average coupon 4.29%

Maturity detail as of 09/30/20

0 - 1 yr. -23.96%
1 - 5 yrs. 71.82%
5 - 10 yrs. 30.14%
10 - 15 yrs. 5.54%
Over 15 yrs. 16.46%

Quality rating as of 09/30/20

AAA 53.83%
AA 11.59%
A 26.10%
BBB 31.40%
BB 3.92%
B 1.13%
CCC and Below 1.20%
Not Rated -29.17%

Fund characteristics will vary over time.

Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%.

Consider these risks before investing: International investing involves currency, economic, and political risks. Emerging-market securities carry illiquidity and volatility risks. Lower-rated bonds may offer higher yields in return for more risk. Funds that invest in government securities are not guaranteed. Mortgage-backed investments, unlike traditional debt investments, are subject to prepayment risk, which means that they may increase in value less than other bonds when interest rates decline and decline in value more than other bonds when interest rates rise. The fund concentrates on a limited group of industries and is non-diversified. Because the fund may invest in fewer issuers than a diversified fund, it is vulnerable to common economic forces and may result in greater losses and volatility. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Interest-rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Risks associated with derivatives include increased investment exposure (which may be considered leverage) and, in the case of over-the-counter instruments, the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations. Unlike bonds, funds that invest in bonds have fees and expenses. The value of investments in the fund's portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions, investor sentiment and market perceptions, government actions, geopolitical events or changes, and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund's portfolio holdings. Our investment techniques, analyses, and judgments may not produce the outcome we intend. The investments we select for the fund may not perform as well as other securities that we do not select for the fund. We, or the fund's other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could have a negative effect on the fund. You can lose money by investing in the fund.

Credit qualities are shown as a percentage of the fund's net assets. A bond rated BBB or higher (A-3 or higher, for short-term debt) is considered investment grade. This chart reflects the highest security rating provided by one or more of Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. To-be-announced (TBA) mortgage commitments, if any, are included based on their issuer ratings. Ratings may vary over time. Cash, derivative instruments, and net other assets are shown in the not-rated category. Payables and receivables for TBA mortgage commitments are included in the not-rated category and may result in negative weights. The fund itself has not been rated by an independent rating agency.

Country allocation as of 09/30/20

United States 59.07%
Japan 10.49%
France 4.17%
Italy 3.13%
Canada 2.65%
Spain 2.54%
United Kingdom 2.51%
Supra-Nation 1.78%
Switzerland 1.26%
 
Other		 12.40%
Australia 0.97%
Mexico 0.94%
Belgium 0.87%
Uruguay 0.74%
Saudi Arabia 0.71%
Netherlands 0.61%
Indonesia 0.60%
Brazil 0.58%
Kazakhstan 0.53%
Dominican Republic 0.49%
Peru 0.44%
Austria 0.43%
Senegal 0.43%
Colombia 0.41%
South Africa 0.40%
China 0.34%
Sweden 0.34%
Bermuda 0.32%
Chile 0.31%
Ivory Coast 0.29%
Malaysia 0.29%
Ireland 0.27%
Paraguay 0.26%
Portugal 0.23%
Romania 0.22%
Denmark 0.20%
Poland 0.20%
Luxembourg 0.15%
New Zealand 0.12%
Germany 0.10%
Norway 0.09%
South Korea 0.03%
Thailand 0.01%
Czech Republic -0.07%
European Community -0.45%

Expenses

Expense ratio

 Class A Class B Class C Class R Class R5 Class R6 Class Y
Total expense ratio 1.24% 1.99% 1.99% 1.49% 0.88% 0.81% 0.99%
What you pay† 0.90% 1.65% 1.65% 1.15% 0.54% 0.47% 0.65%

† The fund's expense ratio is taken from the most recent prospectus and is subject to change. What you pay reflects Putnam Management's decision to contractually limit expenses through 02/28/22

Sales charge

 Breakpoint Class A Class B Class C Class R Class R5 Class R6 Class Y
$0-$49,999 4.00% / 3.50% 0.00% / 4.00% 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- --
$50,000-$99,999 4.00% / 3.50% 0.00% / 4.00% 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- --
$100,000-$249,999 3.25% / 2.75% -- 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- --
$250,000-$499,999 2.50% / 2.00% -- 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- --
$500,000-$999,999 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- -- -- --
$1M-$4M 0.00% / 1.00% -- -- -- -- -- --
$4M-$50M 0.00% / 0.50% -- -- -- -- -- --
$50M+ 0.00% / 0.25% -- -- -- -- -- --

CDSC

  Class A (sales for $500,000+) Class B Class C Class R Class R5 Class R6 Class Y
0 to 9 mts. 1.00% 5.00% 1.00% -- -- -- --
9 to 12 mts. 1.00% 5.00% 1.00% -- -- -- --
2 yrs. 0.00% 4.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --
3 yrs. 0.00% 3.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --
4 yrs. 0.00% 3.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --
5 yrs. 0.00% 2.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --
6 yrs. 0.00% 1.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --
7+ yrs. 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% -- -- -- --

Trail commissions

  Class A Class B Class C Class R Class R5 Class R6 Class Y
  0.25% 0.25% 1.00% 0.50% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
  NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
  NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

For sales and trail commission information on purchases over $500,000 and participant-directed qualified retirement plans, see a Putnam fund prospectus and the statement of additional information.

The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of global investment-grade fixed-income securities. You cannot invest directly in an index.

Consider these risks before investing: International investing involves currency, economic, and political risks. Emerging-market securities carry illiquidity and volatility risks. Lower-rated bonds may offer higher yields in return for more risk. Funds that invest in government securities are not guaranteed. Mortgage-backed investments, unlike traditional debt investments, are subject to prepayment risk, which means that they may increase in value less than other bonds when interest rates decline and decline in value more than other bonds when interest rates rise. The fund concentrates on a limited group of industries and is non-diversified. Because the fund may invest in fewer issuers than a diversified fund, it is vulnerable to common economic forces and may result in greater losses and volatility. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Interest-rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Risks associated with derivatives include increased investment exposure (which may be considered leverage) and, in the case of over-the-counter instruments, the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations. Unlike bonds, funds that invest in bonds have fees and expenses. The value of investments in the fund's portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions, investor sentiment and market perceptions, government actions, geopolitical events or changes, and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund's portfolio holdings. Our investment techniques, analyses, and judgments may not produce the outcome we intend. The investments we select for the fund may not perform as well as other securities that we do not select for the fund. We, or the fund's other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could have a negative effect on the fund. You can lose money by investing in the fund.

Credit qualities are shown as a percentage of the fund's net assets. A bond rated BBB or higher (A-3 or higher, for short-term debt) is considered investment grade. This chart reflects the highest security rating provided by one or more of Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. To-be-announced (TBA) mortgage commitments, if any, are included based on their issuer ratings. Ratings may vary over time. Cash, derivative instruments, and net other assets are shown in the not-rated category. Payables and receivables for TBA mortgage commitments are included in the not-rated category and may result in negative weights. The fund itself has not been rated by an independent rating agency.