2 min readThe World Health Organization has finally given the coronavirus outbreak in China an official name: COVID-19, for “Coronavirus Disease 2019.” Unfortunately, that’s one of the only things we know for sure about the new disease, even as the outbreak extends well into its third month. Consider everything we don’t yet know: Will the draconian quarantine…
17 min readDOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Abstract While the flood of information on the new coronavirus can be overwhelming, treasury professionals should consider how the outbreak may affect their liquidity portfolios. The consensus market view is that the epidemic will have a moderate and temporary impact on the world economy. We think the 2003 SARS epidemic and the…
5 min readThe coronavirus has been the major event in the global economy so far this year. With more than 40,000 confirmed cases globally as of 2/10/2020, it has already surpassed prior flu pandemics. It has resulted in the effective quarantining of the city of Hubei, along with severe travel restrictions in and around mainland China. There…
2 min readFOMC Holds Rates Steady The Federal Reserve met last week to review monetary policy for the first time this year and to no one’s surprise, the FOMC left the overnight lending rate unchanged at the 1.50% to 1.75% range. The Fed remains in a wait-and-see mode where interest rates are concerned, saying it “judges that…
3 min readEvery January, we point to three trends cash managers should keep an eye on in the coming year. In 2019, we hit the nail on the head when we highlighted the inverted yield curve, trade wars, and Brexit. Each of those issues kept institutional cash managers busy all year. First, the Fed reversed course with…
14 min readDOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Abstract We identify three themes to watch for cash investors each year. For 2020, we comment on the Fed’s neutral stance, the continued non-solution for repo market liquidity, and the popularity of ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing. Introduction At the start of each year, we typically name three broad themes that…
2 min readStrong Year for the Markets After trending down on Tuesday morning, markets reversed course and closed the year on a high note. While they were off their December all-time highs, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted their best yearly performances since 2013, rising 28.9% and 35.2%, respectively, while the DJIA had its best year since…
2 min readIf you are among the 20 percent of institutional cash managers who don’t have a formal investment policy statement, it may be time to draft one. And if you do have one, December is a good time to dust it off and update it for the coming year. According to the 2019 AFP Liquidity Survey,…
18 min readDOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Abstract We set out to answer 10 of the most common questions that arise when writing investment policy statements (“IPS”) for cash portfolios. In doing so, we will provide a number of peer group data comparisons to add insight and context to the process. The 10 questions focus on the following subjects…
2 min readFinal FOMC Meeting of 2019 The Federal Reserve met on December 11th and, as expected, left rates unchanged at the 1.50% to 1.75% target range. The FOMC signaled that it has little appetite for adjustments to monetary policy in the near term, saying “the current stance … is appropriate to support sustained expansion of economic…