PDF Fidelity Tax-Free Bond Fund
[Pages:7]QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund
Investment Approach
? Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund is a diversified national municipal bond strategy investing in general obligation and revenue-backed municipal securities across the yield curve.
? Our investment approach focuses on fundamental credit analysis, yield-curve positioning and an analysis of the structural characteristics of each security.
? The fund's interest rate sensitivity is targeted closely to that of its benchmark to prevent interest rate speculation from overwhelming research-based strategies that we deem to have a higher likelihood of success.
? In managing the fund, we emphasize a total-return approach that seeks to generate a level of taxexempt income that is consistent with the preservation of capital.
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Fidelity Tax-Free Bond Fund Gross Expense Ratio: 0.46%2 Bloomberg 3+ Year Non-AMT Municipal Bond Index Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Classification Morningstar Fund Muni National Long
Cumulative
3 Month
YTD
-0.47% 1.73%
-0.31% 0.80%
-0.52% -0.65%
1.43% 1.76%
1 Year 4.33%
2.83% 3.94% 4.58%
Annualized
3 Year
5 Year
10 Year/ LOF1
5.68% 3.58% 4.36%
5.46% 4.91% 5.49%
3.47% 3.14% 3.31%
4.20% 3.94% 4.21%
1 Life of Fund (LOF) if performance is less than 10 years. Fund inception date: 04/10/2001. 2 This expense ratio is from the most recent prospectus and generally is based on amounts incurred during the
most recent fiscal year. It does not include any fee waivers or reimbursements, which would be reflected in the fund's net expense ratio.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate; therefore, you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance stated. Performance shown is that of the fund's Retail Class shares (if multiclass). You may own another share class of the fund with a different expense structure and, thus, have different returns. To learn more or to obtain the most recent month-end or other share-class performance, visit performance, institutional., or . Total returns are historical and include change in share value and reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any. Cumulative total returns are reported as of the period indicated.
For definitions and other important information, please see the Definitions and Important Information section of this Fund Review.
FUND INFORMATION
Manager(s): Team Managed
Trading Symbol: FTABX
Start Date: April 10, 2001
Size (in millions): $4,690.27
Morningstar Category: Fund Muni National Long The municipal market is volatile and can be significantly affected by adverse tax, legislative, or political changes and the financial condition of the issuers of municipal securities. Interest rate increases can cause the price of a debt security to decrease. A portion of the dividends you receive may be subject to federal, state, or local income tax or may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Leverage can increase market exposure and magnify investment risk.
Not FDIC Insured ? May Lose Value ? No Bank Guarantee
QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW: Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Municipal Market Review
Investment-grade municipal bonds posted a slight loss for the third quarter of 2021, as longer-term yields rose moderately across fixedincome asset classes, yield spreads stayed historically tight, and investor demand for tax-exempt income remained robust amid higher inflation and potential for tax increases. The Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index returned -0.27% for the three months.
New issuance of muni bonds in the primary market rose from the same quarter a year earlier amid healthy market liquidity, aided by reinvestment and continued significant new investment in municipal bonds. Investor demand was strong enough to largely absorb the increased bond supply.
Many municipal issuers benefited throughout the period from an improved fiscal outlook for fiscal 2022, bolstered by the substantial federal aid in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act and better-thanexpected tax revenue.
The status of a U.S. infrastructure bill and reconciliation bill in Congress and its potential impact on the rate of inflation remained a wildcard during the quarter, as did efforts by Democrats to increase tax revenue via higher tax rates on corporations and upper-income households.
In July, muni yields declined modestly, influenced by strong technical factors. Inflation rose further, which caused many investors to gravitate toward assets they thought could provide positive returns, including lower-rated investment-grade municipal bonds. Investors largely interpreted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony before Congress in July as dovish.
He acknowledged that re-opening segments of the economy are driving more inflation than expected, but said he expects this higher inflation to be transitory. He also noted that "substantial further progress" for the economy would need to materialize before the Fed changed its accommodative policies.
Muni yields rose in August, amid improved jobs data that led some fixed-income investors to anticipate an eventual move by the Fed to taper its monthly open-market bond purchases, which the central bank has been using during the pandemic to boost the economy and keep longer-term rates low.
In September, muni yields rose further as broader market volatility increased, partly due to concerns about inflated asset prices in China that could threaten global economic growth, and a Congressional stalemate regarding efforts to raise or suspend the U.S. debt limit . Meanwhile, federal infrastructure legislation, which some market participants saw as a positive for muni-bond prices, began to look more uncertain. Lastly, Chairman Powell warned that elevated inflation could last longer than anticipated and expressed the Fed's intention to begin tapering its open market bond purchases in November.
For the period, revenue bonds used to finance specific projects performed roughly in line with general-obligation bonds issued by state and local governments. Overall, bonds rated A and BAA (the Bloomberg equivalent to BBB) slightly outperformed bonds rated AAA, as investors sought higher yields in a low-rate environment. Most states and major municipal sectors posted a slightly negative or negligibly positive return for the quarter.
THREE-MONTH MUNI INDEX RETURNS BY SECTOR
Sector
Total Return
Insured
--
Prerefunded
-0.00%
Electric Leasing Local GO Hospital State GO Index
-0.07% -0.15% -0.24% -0.24% -0.26% -0.27%
Industrial Revenue
-0.27%
Water & Sewer
-0.31%
Special Tax Education Transportation Resource Recovery Housing
-0.32% -0.34% -0.36% -0.43% -0.47%
Returns represent those of the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index.
THREE-MONTH MUNI INDEX RETURNS BY CREDIT QUALITY
Quality
Total Return
AAA
-0.41%
AA
-0.28%
A
-0.28%
BAA
0.11%
Index
-0.27%
Returns represent those of the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index.
2 | For definitions and other important information, please see Definitions and Important Information section of this Fund Review.
QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW: Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Performance Review
DETAILED FUND ATTRIBUTION RELATIVE TO BENCHMARK
Strategy: Sector Allocation
Strategy: Credit
Market Environment
Muni yields rose for the quarter, with very modest performance differentiation by sector.
Market Environment
Lower-rated investment-grade municipal bonds slightly outperformed higher-quality securities for the period.
Fund Positioning (Impact vs. Benchmark)
? Sector allocation did not have a material impact on the relative result. (Neutral)
Fund Positioning (Impact vs. Benchmark)
? Credit positioning did not have a material impact on performance versus the index. (Neutral)
Strategy: Yield Curve
Market Environment
The yield curve steepened during the quarter, as yields on long bonds rose more than yields on shorter maturities.
Strategy: Additional Factors
Market Environment
The fund and its benchmark employ somewhat different methodologies in estimating the prices of municipal securities, most of which trade infrequently.
Fund Positioning (Impact vs. Benchmark)
? Yield-curve positioning did not have a material impact on the fund's relative return. (Neutral)
Fund Positioning (Impact vs. Benchmark)
? We estimate that pricingmethodology differences detracted from the fund's performance versus the benchmark. (Negative)
3 | For definitions and other important information, please see Definitions and Important Information section of this Fund Review.
QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW: Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Outlook and Positioning
We're optimistic about fundamentals for municipal credit, based on continued economic improvement and significant federal aid to municipal issuers included in the ARP Act.
Potential moves to raise taxes on higher income earners at the state and federal levels could fuel additional demand for tax-exempt municipal bonds.
Also, a repeal of the prohibition on tax-exempt advance refunding bonds, being considered as part of a reconciliation package, could increase the supply of tax-exempt bonds.
As of September 30, we're taking a balanced approach. We continue to hold lower-quality investment-grade bonds we believe have potential upside should the economy and muni market continue to strengthen. We're also focused on maintaining an appropriate allocation to higher-quality securities that we believe will provide us with liquidity should market conditions weaken.
In our view, the outcome of tax and spending policies under consideration by Congress and the ability of the Fed to keep inflation expectations muted while tapering its open-market bond purchases will impact the shape of the yield curve.
It is important for investors to remember that our portfolios are constructed with a careful and intentional emphasis on issue selection, especially with consideration to the individual level of liquidity of the security and overall financial resiliency of its issuer. In the current environment, we continue to evaluate each of the fund's investments and are monitoring those that may be more financially challenged than others.
Overall, we continue to remain committed to the approach of building individual exposures in the portfolio that reflect risks with which we are comfortable, at entry prices that we believe offer strong relative value.
MUNICIPAL-SECTOR DIVERSIFICATION
Sector
Portfolio Weight
Index Weight
Relative Change Relative From Prior Weight Quarter
Health Care
20.91% 10.45% 10.46% -0.65%
Transportation
17.31% 11.84% 5.47% 0.83%
State Obligations
14.86% 18.09% -3.23% 0.36%
Local Obligations
12.42% 17.05% -4.63% 1.23%
Higher Education
8.14% 5.94% 2.20% -0.02%
Special Tax
6.52% 13.30% -6.78% 0.04%
Electric & Gas
6.12% 5.25% 0.87% -0.10%
Corporate-Backed
5.64% 2.14% 3.50% 0.72%
Water & Sewer
2.55% 9.26% -6.71% 0.03%
Pre-Refunded
2.51% 2.53% -0.02% -0.19%
Housing
1.58% 2.63% -1.05% -0.20%
Tobacco
0.80% 0.59% 0.21% -0.02%
Lease/Other
0.01% 0.65% -0.64% -0.20%
Cash & Net Other Assets 0.63% 0.28% 0.35% -1.83%
Futures, Options & Swaps
0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Net Other Assets can include fund receivables, fund payables, and offsets to other derivative positions, as well as certain assets that do not fall into any of the portfolio composition categories. Depending on the extent to which the fund invests in derivatives and the number of positions that are held for future settlement, Net Other Assets can be a negative number.
CREDIT-QUALITY DIVERSIFICATION
Credit Quality
Portfolio Weight
Index Weight
Relative Weight
Relative Change From Prior Quarter
U.S. Government
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
AAA
4.89%
21.08% -16.19%
0.45%
AA
37.58% 54.48% -16.90% 0.93%
A
37.59% 17.56% 20.03%
0.25%
BBB
14.89%
6.60%
8.29%
-0.23%
BB
2.47%
0.00%
2.47%
-0.06%
B
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
CCC & Below
0.01%
0.00%
0.01%
0.00%
Short-Term Rated
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
Not Rated/Not Available
1.93%
0.28%
1.65%
0.44%
Cash & Net Other Assets
0.64%
0.00%
0.64%
-1.78%
Net Other Assets can include fund receivables, fund payables, and offsets to other derivative positions, as well as certain assets that do not fall into any of the portfolio composition categories. Depending on the extent to which the fund invests in derivatives and the number of positions that are held for future settlement, Net Other Assets can be a negative number.
Credit ratings for a rated issuer or security are categorized using the highest credit rating among the following three Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations ("NRSRO"): Moody's Investors Service (Moody's); Standard & Poor's Rating Services (S&P); or Fitch, Inc. Securities that are not rated by any of these three NRSRO's (e.g. equity securities) are categorized as Not Rated. All U.S. government securities are included in the U.S. Government category. The table information is based on the combined investments of the fund and its pro-rata share of any investments in other Fidelity funds.
4 | For definitions and other important information, please see Definitions and Important Information section of this Fund Review.
QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW: Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
10 LARGEST STATE WEIGHTS
State Illinois New York Florida Texas New Jersey Pennsylvania California Georgia Washington Kentucky
Portfolio Weight 16.48% 8.10% 6.87% 6.08% 5.62% 5.10% 4.52% 3.59% 3.20% 3.13%
Index Weight 4.55% 16.30% 3.96% 9.47% 3.83% 3.75% 16.74% 2.22% 3.13% 0.80%
CHARACTERISTICS
Duration 30-Day SEC Yield 30-Day SEC Restated Yield 30-Day SEC Tax-Equivalent Yield Net Asset Value Subject to Alternative Minimum Tax
Portfolio 6.26 years
1.00% 0.79%
-$12.15 0.00%
Index 6.14 years
------
5 | For definitions and other important information, please see Definitions and Important Information section of this Fund Review.
QUARTERLY FUND REVIEW: Fidelity? Tax-Free Bond Fund | AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Definitions and Important Information
Information provided in this document is for informational and educational purposes only. To the extent any investment information in this material is deemed to be a recommendation, it is not meant to be impartial investment advice or advice in a fiduciary capacity and is not intended to be used as a primary basis for you or your client's investment decisions. Fidelity, and its representatives may have a conflict of interest in the products or services mentioned in this material because they have a financial interest in, and receive compensation, directly or indirectly, in connection with the management, distribution and/or servicing of these products or services including Fidelity funds, certain third-party funds and products, and certain investment services.
CHARACTERISTICS
Duration is a measure of a security's price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security's interest payments in addition to the amount of time until the security reaches maturity, and also takes into account certain maturity shortening features (e.g., demand features, interest rate resets, and call options) when applicable. Securities with longer durations generally tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. A fund with a longer average duration generally can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a fund with a shorter average duration.
30-day SEC Yield is a standard yield calculation developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission for bond funds. The yield is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the 30-day period by the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the period. The yield figure reflects the dividends and interest earned during the 30-day period, after the deduction of the fund's expenses. It is sometimes referred to as "SEC 30-Day Yield" or "standardized yield".
30-Day SEC Restated Yield is the fund's 30-day yield without applicable waivers or reimbursements, stated as of month-end.
30-day SEC Tax-Equivalent Yield shows what you would have to earn on a taxable investment to equal the fund's tax-free yield, if you are in the 37% effective federal income tax bracket and also subject to the 3.8% Medicare Contribution tax, but does not reflect the payment of the federal alternative minimum tax, if applicable. Medicare Contribution tax is a tax on non-municipal investment income that applies to individuals with incomes over $200,000 (or $250,000, filing jointly). For state-specific funds, TEY is based not only on the highest federal tax rate (40.8%) but also the highest state tax rate. For state-specific funds, TEYs assume investors are state residents and would not be able to take an itemized deduction on their federal returns for state taxes on investment income. For NY funds, TEYs reflect NYC income taxes and treat them the same as state taxes. For MD funds, TEYs reflect the highest city/county tax rates in MD and treat them the same as state taxes. Consult a tax professional for further detail.
Net Asset Value is the dollar value of one share of a fund; determined by taking the total assets of a fund, subtracting the total liabilities, and dividing by the total number of shares outstanding.
Subject to Alternative Minimum Tax is the percent of interest income subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) based on
total net assets within a portfolio.
IMPORTANT FUND INFORMATION Relative positioning data presented in this commentary is based on the fund's primary benchmark (index) unless a secondary benchmark is provided to assess performance.
INDICES It is not possible to invest directly in an index. All indices represented are unmanaged. All indices include reinvestment of dividends and interest income unless otherwise noted.
Bloomberg 3+ Year Non-AMT Municipal Bond Index is a marketvalue-weighted index of investment-grade fixed-rate NonAlternative Minimum Tax (AMT) municipal bonds with maturities of three years or more.
LIPPER INFORMATION Lipper Averages are averages of the performance of all mutual funds with their respective investment classification category. The number of funds in each category periodically changes. Lipper, a Refinitiv company, is a nationally recognized organization that ranks the performance of mutual funds.
MORNINGSTAR INFORMATION ? 2021 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The Morningstar information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or redistributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Fidelity does not review the Morningstar data and, for mutual fund performance, you should check the fund's current prospectus for the most up-to-date information concerning applicable loads, fees and expenses.
SECTOR WEIGHTS Sector weights illustrate examples of market segments in which the fund may invest, and may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. They should not be construed or used as a recommendation for any subset of the market.
6 |
Before investing in any mutual fund, please carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. For this and other information, call or write Fidelity for a free prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Read it carefully before you invest.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Views expressed are through the end of the period stated and do not necessarily represent the views of Fidelity. Views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and Fidelity disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a Fidelity fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any Fidelity fund. The securities mentioned are not necessarily holdings invested in by the portfolio manager(s) or FMR LLC. References to specific company securities should not be construed as recommendations or investment advice.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss.
S&P 500 is a registered service mark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC.
Other third-party marks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
All other marks appearing herein are registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of FMR LLC or an affiliated company.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC., 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917.
Fidelity Distributors Company LLC, 500 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917.
? 2021 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Not NCUA or NCUSIF insured. May lose value. No credit union guarantee.
656626.35.0
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