7 min readMacroeconomic Conditions The post-pandemic economy has had to contend with a rarely seen number of short-term disruptions and fundamental shifts to which it has mostly taken in stride. So far, we have avoided a widely broadcast recession, helped initially by huge amounts of pandemic related financial aid, and followed by a historically strong labor market…
5 min readThe COVID-19 pandemic produced the first major test for the U.S. banking system since the 2008 global financial crisis. At the start of the pandemic, questions were posed about how bank balance sheets would hold up amidst a period of social isolation, lockdowns, elevated job losses and a severe contraction in output. Would the banks’…
18 min readWe identify three themes to watch for cash investors each year. For 2021, we focus on vaccines, ESG and LIBOR replacement. DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Introduction At the start of each year, we typically name three broad themes that we think will have the greatest potential impact on the short-term debt markets. Our 2020 picks posed…
2 min readThe Federal Reserve held its last meeting of the year this week and to no one’s surprise, it left the overnight lending rate unchanged at the 0.00% to 0.25% range. As it wraps up a tumultuous 2020 and looks forward to the new year, the Fed is focused on supporting “the U.S. economy in this…
2 min readVaccine Progress Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine proved to be more than 90% effective in early trial results, while Moderna reported that its version is 95% effective in protecting patients from the virus. Fed Chair Jerome Powell spoke with Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and European Central Bank…
6 min readWith 48 potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccines now undergoing clinical trials on humans, there’s mounting hope that one or more will be available in 2021. But many unknowns remain, especially regarding potential financial implications for the pharmaceutical companies that produce them. Timing of their arrival, manufacturing capacity, distribution, levels of potential government support, overall costs, and final…
3 min readBiotech companies have taken center stage during the pandemic of 2020. Between the many vaccine initiatives and even more numerous investments in testing and new Covid-19 therapies, money is flooding into the sector at a record rate. Biotechs raised more than $6 billion in initial public offerings in just the first half of the year….
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…
1 min readCOVID-19 infection rates have fallen dramatically in most industrialized nations, but new cases in the U.S. and in developing countries have surged to record levels in the last few weeks. Despite the serious setbacks, lawmakers in the U.S. continue to grapple with how to most appropriately implement mask requirements to slow the spread of the…
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…