The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that bonds can provide stability during stock-market downturns and economic recessions, and anyone nervous about either event could see today's rising bond yields as a potential gift. The Globe's David Berman writes, however, that you can side with the skeptics without avoiding bonds altogether. Consider safe money-market funds. Or for a little more risk, consider exchange-traded funds -- the easiest way for small investors to buy bonds -- that focus on short-term bonds. With maturity dates not far off, these bonds are less sensitive to rising interest rates. The Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF is down just 1.1 per cent over the past three months. The Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF, on the other hand, has suffered a severe 8.3-per cent decline. Another approach: consider corporate bonds, which are one step removed from the nagging issue of government deficits. The BMO Short Corporate Bond Index ETF (ZCS) invests in investment-grade corporate bonds issued in Canada, with maturity dates one to five years away. The unit price is down 1.8 per cent over the past three months. Bonds are clearly suffering this year, and the case for loading up on them is not yet here.