Corporate bond markets need more transparency – not less

The prices dealers quote on electronic venues such as Tradeweb and MarketAxess are indicative and only valid for small-size tickets. The real market for institutional block trades tends to be far from the screen price. The lack of dependable data makes it difficult to agree prices and execute orders quickly, especially during times of market…

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Will Apple Bring Sticker Shock to Credit Markets?

The average yield spread on double-A corporate bonds has narrowed by more than 50 basis points since Apple’s last offering, suggesting the iPhone maker could lock in a 10-year rate around 1.25%. To put that in context: Before this year, the U.S. government itself had never borrowed so cheaply. With corporate spreads compressing to historic…

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Fed slows corporate debt purchases to trickle

CreditSights analysts combed through the Fed’s latest portfolio data for trends and found the central bank’s daily purchases dwindled to about $21 million on average through July 30, down from about $180 million of daily buying when the program kicked off in May. The question is where do corporate bond spreads go once the market…

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Corporate Bonds are on Shaky Ground

In its March report, IIF said “a wave of downgrades from BBB- to sub-investment-grade could force institutional investors with strict investment grade mandates to reduce exposures abruptly, resulting in ‘fire sales’”. That moment has arrived. “In the U.S., 15% of investment-grade bonds are at risk of becoming fallen angels,” reports Addenda Capital’s Yanick Desnoyers. This…

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A $10 Trillion Corporate Debt Bomb Is Waiting to Explode the U.S. Economy

Investment-grade corporate bond issuance has already exceeded this year than for the whole of 2019. U.S. companies now owe more than $10 trillion, which is nearly half of the country’s 2019 GDP of $21.5 trillion. With corporate profits remaining weak throughout the covid crisis, we are surely in for a slew of downgrades and defaults. Track financial…

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A trading tool that’s transforming the $10 trillion-plus corporate bond market

Once unwieldy and time-consuming, tech innovation is rapidly turning portfolio trading mainstream. In a portfolio trade, an asset manager picks a basket of securities to buy or sell, then analyses them on various metrics such as liquidity, inclusion in ETFs and transaction size. Utilize Overbond’s custom bond basket creation tool to construct strategies and diversify…

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Bond Traders Aim to Separate Distress from Doom

Great thoughts from Brian Chappatta, about sifting through US corporate bonds and sorting out the companies that are merely distressed from those that are ultimately doomed. Utilize Overbond’s Market Surveillance and Fundamental Momentum tools to separate great buys from looming downgrades.  Source: Bloomberg Investment-grade bonds have become almost a commoditized asset class, given the Federal…

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More corporate defaults seem to be on the way

Despite a mini-boom in the bond market, credit defaults are priced in. Companies are mercilessly sorted by recessions. The strongest credits grow stronger. The weakest investment-grade firms descend into junk territory. And the most frail speculative-grade firms go into default. Use Overbond’s market surveillance capabilities and trending financial ratios to monitor the credit landscape for…

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