2 min readIn October, short treasuries were whipsawed by political dysfunction with the threat of an “operational interruption” to Treasury bills that caused yields to soar above 50 basis points for October 17 maturities. This volatility followed on the heels of a Treasury rally in September which was induced by the Fed’s failure to announce a tapering…
2 min readAbstract The Federal Reserve introduced the new reverse repo facility to control the level and volatility of short-term interest rates, to help relieve repo collateral shortage and to better regulate the tri-party repo market. The likely impact includes the avoidance of negative yield, the addition of a high quality counterparty to the marketplace, more responsive…
2 min readRisk management is core to every treasury operation whether the organization is a biotech in phase III trials or a global Fortune 500 company. Large or small, an organization’s goals should be centered on selecting and monitoring exposures that are appropriate for its risk tolerances. Granted, staying consistently true to those tolerances is significantly more…
1 min readAbstract We introduce a capture-analyze-manage framework to counterparty risk management. The constant risk aversion principle and a credit risk scoring system may help organizations establish a target risk level and proactively manage their positions as conditions change. Introduction Although it’s been five years since the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, many corporate treasurers continue to feel uneasy…
1 min readEach January our newsletter focuses on the likely challenges that cash investors will face in the coming year. Given how much has transpired in the treasurer’s world since the beginning of 2013, we thought that an update on the issues facing cash investors would be helpful. On June 5th the SEC voted unanimously to propose…
2 min readAbstract As we recap market developments in the first six months of 2013 and look to the future, we reflect on the following five observations from a recent liquidity conference: Low yield environment turning the corner; Corporate cash balances up, investors less worried; Supply still constrained, but more issuers entering the market; New money market…
2 min readCounterparty risk associated with financial institutions seems to be the hot topic lately. From San Francisco to Miami, treasury conference attendees were discussing the issue and the conferences devoted working sessions to the topic. We believe that this is not a passing fad; rather, counterparty risk in one’s enterprise needs to be addressed and managed…
2 min readAbstract Experience has taught us that even seemingly strong counterparties can fail without warning. Counterparty risk management has become more challenging in recent decades due to concentrated exposures, complex financial instruments and deteriorating bank credit. Corporations should manage risk proactively, have an integrated risk policy across business lines, diversify risk by setting exposure limits according…
1 min readIdentifying credit trends and translating these trends into risk management practices, whether in the management of a buy list or in the management of counterparty risk, is a key function within treasury departments. The negative trends in bank ratings we discussed more than a year ago, “Bank Ratings Headed for BBB, How the Megatrend May…
2 min readAbstract As Federal banking authorities work to implement rules to allow for the quick and efficient dissolution of too-big-to-fail banks, ratings once again are under assault, and most large U.S. banks could lose their access to the short-term markets toward the end of 2013. The anticipated negative rating moves will be the direct result of…