The average maturity and the portfolio duration are adjusted based on HIMCO's assessment of multi-year trends in several factor like economic conditions, inflationary pressure, rate changes and U.S. Treasury bonds' long-term value in relation to inflation. The popularity of mutual funds is reemphasized by the fact that favorability rating among shareholders for mutual fund companies has remained at 68% in mid-2014. Most investors believe that fund performance is primarily the driving factor behind investor sentiment.