4 min readFixed income investors have been slower to adopt sustainable investing practices than their equity counterparts, as only in recent years has responsible fixed income investing become a hot topic. (Sustainable investing was one of our three themes to watch for in our article “2020 Vision – Watch the Fed, Repos and ESG Investing.”) Different timetables…
3 min readThe auto industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors since the pandemic began. In April, US auto sales hit a low of 8.6 million vehicles, down from 16.8 million at the end of February. Moody’s expects vehicles sales to fall at least 20% in 2020 and will take several years to return to…
6 min readBecause credit card asset-backed securities (ABS) are tied directly to the strength or weakness of consumer finances, economic downturns can be perilous to their health. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the high unemployment and low consumer spending in the current economic downturn are putting ABS under scrutiny. So far, however, this class of securities has…
5 min readThe coronavirus pandemic has forced firms across industry groups to shore up liquidity in order to weather depressed revenue streams. These conditions, coupled with accommodative economic policies, led to a spur of borrowing during the first half of 2020. Due to this current climate, many companies are having trouble finding solid financial footing, leading to…
6 min readThe global tech supply chain is about to be turned upside down. Tensions between the U.S. and China, heightened in a two-year-long trade war, were already instigating conversations regarding relocating and reconstructing the supply chain. Now that the coronavirus has further exposed the limited geographic diversity and concentration levels in the supply chain, it is…
5 min readFunding markets are back from the dead. A little over two months ago, liquidity in short-term markets all but dissipated amidst a broader market panic in reaction to COVID-19. But fast action by the Fed prevented what might have turned into a full-blown liquidity freeze reminiscent of the one that helped precipitate the 2008 financial…
2 min readTrillions of dollars of support from the Fed have helped keep financial markets open. Trillions more from Congress are supporting consumers. But what will the next phase of the COVID-19 crisis bring? And what does it mean for institutional cash managers? You can find many of the answers in our latest research report, Institutional Cash…
3 min readWatch the Webinar: Click the above video for a replay of our March 31, 2020 webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on cash portfolios. Hosted by Benjamin Campbell, CEO, and Lance Pan, CFA, Director of Investment Research & Strategy. The cash management landscape has changed greatly in the short time since we published our February…
20 min readDOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Abstract As the post-recession credit cycle matures and a period of historically low interest rates ends, investors are paying increased attention to the rise of corporate leverage. Companies have borrowed heavily in the past decade to fund M&A activity and investor payouts. This has resulted in significant growth in BBB-rated debt for…
2 min readRemember CDO’s, those collateralized debt obligations at the center of the massive mortgage meltdown in 2008? These days, you can expect to start hearing about CLO’s, collateralized loan obligations, that are at the tip of a rapidly growing iceberg of leveraged corporate debt. The recent growth of CLO’s is only one of many warning signs…