In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Owen Rask sits down with Kanish Chugh, Head of ETF Sales at PIMCO Australia, to unpack why higher interest rates are changing the case for defensive assets. They explore why bonds are no longer the ‘boring’ part of a portfolio, what today’s yield environment means for retirees and income-focused investors, and why the starting yield on fixed income matters more than many people realise.
Owen and Kanish break down the trade-offs between savings accounts, term deposits and cash ETFs, including why liquidity, monthly distributions and portfolio role matter just as much as headline yield. They also explain how short-duration strategies differ from longer-duration bond exposures, why retirees often need a clearer cash plan than accumulators, and how fixed income can reduce the need to sell growth assets in weak markets.
If you’re building a retirement income plan, managing a cash bucket or simply trying to understand where fixed income fits in 2026, this conversation offers a practical framework for researching your next move. Kanish also shares the PIMCO products and fixed income ideas investors can add to a watchlist and explains why now may be one of the most compelling periods in years to revisit bonds, cash-plus strategies and diversified defensive exposure.
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