Two low-fee bond fund investments

Article Excerpt

With interest rates so low, bonds have become much less attractive to income-seeking investors. However, if you need stable income and want to hold bonds, here are two bond funds that have low fees and top-quality holdings. As well, both cut risk by avoiding speculative trading and emphasizing government bonds. ISHARES CANADIAN SHORT BOND INDEX FUND $29.34 (CWA Rating: Income) (Toronto symbol XSB; buy or sell through a broker) mirrors the performance of the DEX Short-Term Bond Index. This index consists of a wide range of investment-grade federal, provincial, municipal and corporate bonds with between one- and five-year terms to maturity. The iShares Canadian Short Bond Index Fund currently holds 152 bonds with an average term to maturity of 2.9 years. Top issuers include the Government of Canada, Canada Housing Trust, Bank of Nova Scotia, the Province of Ontario and the Province of Quebec. The bonds in the index are 68.4% government and 31.6% corporate. The iShares Canadian Short Bond Index Fund has…