Thames Water – A fluid situation

On our latest educational webinar in our "Spotlight on ESG" series, Johnathan Owen, Portfolio Management discussed fossil fuel financing and how we engage with banks on this subject.

Volatility made an unwanted come back this week. A combination of rising tensions in the Middle East, strong Consumer Price Index (CPI) and labour market data in the US in previous days, and markets that looked somewhat expensive in certain sectors, all conspired to cause a widening in spreads and a correction in equity prices.

The NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) survey can most certainly be considered an important report that monitors the pulse of the US economy.

George Curtis, Portfolio Management, discusses the Multi-Sector Bond team's performance in Q1 2024, highlighting the improved clarity in deciphering central bank actions. With an anticipated central bank rate cut as the next move, the team remain confident in navigating the market's developments.

Following the aggressive rates rally at the end of 2023, Q1 saw notable gains, with inflation surpassing expectations. Johnathan Owen, Portfolio Management, highlights a more promising inflation outlook and its implications for the Investment Grade team. 

Douglas Charleston, Partner & Portfolio Management, concludes the first quarter in 2024 for the Asset-Backed Securities team, noting that while major economies remain resilient, the rates markets have undergone significant shifts, with central banks reassessing their rate cut expectations.

The Additional Tier 1's product was first launched in early 2013, so the asset class has mostly seen the period of negative interest rates and challenging operating environment post the Euro zone crisis.

The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) surprised on the upside for the third month in a row. There was nowhere to hide in the release with a majority of sub categories and sub aggregates posting worse numbers than expected.

We previously blogged about Thames Water in July last year but it’s rapidly refloated to the top of UK credit market concerns. Following more recent events, where do we think Thames Water go from here?