In this episode of the OpenYield Markets Podcast, host Mark Hebert sits down with Nick Gendron, Global Head of Fixed Income Index Product at Bloomberg – and an influential figure in the history of bond indexing.
From his early days at Lehman Brothers and Barclays to his leadership role at Bloomberg, Nick walks us through how fixed income indices have evolved over the past 30 years – from trader-priced benchmarks to the data-driven, transparent systems that define today’s market.
Topics covered:
- The foundational purpose of bond indices and why transparency and representation are non-negotiable.
- The rise of BVAL as the “gold standard” in bond pricing – and how it transformed index accuracy.
- The launch of Bloomberg’s U.S. Total Fixed Income Market Index – a first-of-its-kind benchmark designed to capture the entire U.S. bond market, spanning investment grade, high yield, loans, and eventually structured credit – all under a single umbrella.
- The growing role of private credit, and how index providers are preparing to capture this opaque market segment.
- How Bloomberg balances innovation and stability while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in fixed income analytics.
Nick also shares personal insights, including his thoughts on market innovation, his approach to leadership, and even his favorite golf course.
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