4 min readAbstract For institutional cash investors unsure of separately managed accounts in a rising interest rate environment, our scenario analysis suggests that a laddered portfolio of agency and corporate securities with a modest WAM could outperform the government money market fund proxy with negligible unrealized loss concerns. Both agency and corporate portfolios with maximum maturities of…
4 min readAbstract At the start of each year, we typically name three broad market trends or events that could potentially have the greatest impact on the short-term debt market. For 2018, we think central bank tightening, tax reform and event risk will have the most impact on short-term debt markets. We are generally sanguine about the…
4 min readExecutive Summary ABCP can still be a good investment choice in large corporate treasury accounts due to the liquidity, flexibility, and yield potential of the asset class. Most traditional multi-seller conduits persevered through the recent financial crisis. Despite low issuance and investor skepticism, the mechanism of ABCP structures improved due to new regulatory measures. Potential…
2 min readAbstract In the year since the SEC instituted new rules governing money market mutual funds, institutional prime funds have recaptured some lost ground, although balances still lag government funds. Fund characteristics returned to pre-reform levels with wide dispersions and concentrated exposures to non-US financial issuers. Asset-backed instruments also increased. While prime fund yields benefitted from…
5 min readAbstract The Republican bill represents a starting point for tax and budget negotiations. While details are lacking, the current plan offers some interesting angles for market participants to think about their liquidity investment strategies. We highlighted parts of the bill relevant to corporate cash investors and their potential impact on issuers and investors in the…
3 min readAbstract Debt limit negotiations often go down to the wire, generating headline risk and investor uneasiness. The yield on T-bills maturing around default date may be substantially higher than those maturing in neighboring months. The exponential growth in government money market funds since the 2016 regulatory reform increases contagion risk should shareholders and portfolio managers…
3 min readAbstract The return of yield opportunities presents institutional cash investors with fresh challenges. Higher rates have driven up the cost of staying with ultra conservative instruments. Money market fund reforms have left corporate cash managers with few clear choices to add yield. And historically popular cash vehicles that have undergone significant changes demand a fresh…
2 min readAbstract The return of yield opportunities presents institutional cash investors with fresh challenges. Higher rates have driven up the cost of staying with ultra conservative instruments. Money market fund reforms have left corporate cash managers with few clear choices to add yield. And historically popular cash vehicles that have undergone significant changes demand a fresh…
4 min readAbstract Key takeaways: While details are lacking, one can generally expect balance sheet normalization to start at the end of 2017, with reinvestment gradually phased out over one year, taking 2.5 years to complete for a total reduction of $1.8 trillion in Treasury and MBS bonds. Impacts to Expect: Higher interest rates on Treasury securities…
3 min readAbstract Counterparty risk management should have an integrated framework. While utilizing a separately managed account may help reduce a corporation’s concentration risk in a money market fund, it may also be an important tool to reduce enterprise level counterparty risk. A portfolio of securities not correlated with the firm’s largest credit exposures may help to…