19 min readDOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Abstract Rather than dismissing September’s repo turbulence as stemming from idiosyncratic events easily rectified by the Fed, we think that the event reveals broader vulnerabilities within the hidden plumbing of our financial system. Although not all institutional cash portfolios directly use repo, this squeeze should concern us all. We don’t think there…
5 min readThis past week saw some nearly unprecedented chaos in repo markets. Beginning late Monday and extending into Tuesday morning, funding in overnight cash markets essentially dried up, sending investors scrambling for liquidity. This resulted in a surge in repo rates for those who did transact, with overnight rates jumping from the low-to-mid 2% range to…
2 min readIf you’re a cash investor waiting for bank deposit yields to catch up with the Fed’s interest rate hikes, don’t hold your breath. The so-called “deposit beta,” which measures how fast banks raise their rates as a percentage of the increase in the federal funds rate, has risen at a snail’s pace compared to previous…
9 min readAbstract Deposit rates are starting to increase as we move further into a rising rate environment. Banks still have not rewarded depositors sufficiently with a 21% average deposit beta, although some executives expressed moving it above 50%. The wait for higher rates continues unless depositors are willing to consider market-based instruments. There, several options exist…
1 min readAbstract The GE announcement should be a positive credit event for creditors and bondholders. The divestiture is an event that has been seven years in the making and it will result in a significant reduction of commercial paper outstanding, especially for the direct issue CP market. Short-term corporate bond supply also will suffer. As higher…
2 min readAbstract As large money market fund sponsors begin to release their new fund directions, the wait may be over for cash investors to get their own strategies in place. The recent announcements allow us to gauge different paths forward for the industry and help investors gain insight into what to expect. Among a lineup of…
2 min readAbstract This research commentary discusses liquidity in the context of corporate cash portfolios, coming challenges in the post-crisis era, why liquidity reversal may be a systemic concern, and how investors should prepare for the new liquidity equilibrium in a normalized interest rate environment. Our suggestions for corporate cash professionals include the following: Review and Revise…
2 min readAbstract The Johnson-Crapo bill represents another concrete step towards the resolution of the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and one that will further reduce the supply of government agency debt. This presents a serious challenge to the management of cash portfolios due to the core holdings status of agency debt. Money market fund…
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 readAbstract Deposits at the 20 largest U.S. banks are generally concentrated in banks with Tier 2 ratings, many of which are just one step away from BBB status. Significant cross-concentration of bank names also exists in large prime money market funds. The dominance of bank exposure in corporate portfolios through deposits and money market funds…