Utilities offer you income and growth

Article Excerpt

Utilities could suffer more than other sectors as interest rates further rise. That’s because they have a lot of debt, and higher rates make it more expensive to raise money and refinance existing debt. As well, their shares, which typically offer high yields, compete with fixed-income instruments for investor interest. Still, holding a stake in this sector is an important part of a well-balanced portfolio. It should provide you with some long-term growth in the next few years, along with high, secure yields. But to lower risk, you should spread your utility investments out among the three main branches of this economic sector—telecommunications firms, pipeline operators and electric companies. ETFs are a good way to do that. Meanwhile, the Supplement on page 59 discusses the possible impact of rising interest rates on stock markets overall. VANGUARD UTILITIES ETF $154.65 (New York symbol VPU; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $7.8 billion) invests in utilities based in the U.S. The portfolio includes companies that distribute electricity…