3 min readWhen the Fed raised interest rates last December for the first time since 2008, many corporate cash investors who had lived through previous tightening cycles expected a series of increases through 2016. But worldwide turbulence in equity markets in the first quarter, additional easing by central banks overseas, and ongoing uncertainty about the U.S. economy…
2 min readAbstract Three C’s – China, commodities and central bank actions – contribute to a slower and shallower path for higher rates Many market pundits continue to argue for one or two rate hikes this year, but most debt investors now accept that the fed funds will return to the normal range of 3-4% over a…
1 min readSurvey Goal To shed light on treasury departments’ efforts to mitigate liquidity risk in short-term cash investment, debt and forecasting practices and changes over time. Seven Key Things We Learned From the 2016 Survey Ignoring Bank Exposures Treasury and financial professionals have not materially changed their exposure to Bank Deposits in the wake of significant…
4 min readMany people tend to believe that the world of corporate cash investments revolves around two limited choices: bank deposits and money market funds. But several decades ago before the rapid adoption of prime money funds, a third choice—direct purchase and management of marketable securities in separately managed accounts (SMAs)—was routinely used for cash management. After…
1 min readFor corporate cash managers, planning to reallocate investments in an orderly way as money fund reform approaches may be a common goal, but trying to balance decisions on the utility of government money market funds versus the yield opportunities of a separately managed account can be a conundrum. While the Fed’s December interest rate hike…
1 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 in a rising rate environment. Both agency and corporate…
1 min readAbstract Greater vigilance is required of today’s treasury investment professionals. Neither bank deposits nor money market funds alone may be appropriate in the post-crisis, post-regulatory environment. As yields start to rise, cash investment strategy decisions that may have been delayed will require serious consideration. Direct purchases in separately managed accounts may become the primary alternative…
1 min readAbstract 2016 will be a year of transition on many fronts for corporate cash investors. The Federal Reserve is expected to remain accommodative in removing monetary stimulus. There will be increased clarity following money market fund reform in October. Credit markets should also manage well through moderate credit deterioration and wider spreads. The primary job…
1 min readWith amendments to SEC Rule 2a-7 going into effect in the fall of 2016, institutional prime money market funds will be required to adopt floating net-asset values (NAVs) as well as provisions for fees and gates on redemptions. Because floating NAV prime funds present new considerations for cash investors managing liquidity, risk and return, they…
2 min readIntroduction It has been more than a decade since the last interest rate tightening cycle. As we dust off this report written more than ten years ago for corporate treasurers on how to weather a rising rate cycle, we are struck by how little we needed to revise its content despite a vastly different cash…