TwentyFour

After a hectic first half of the year, most investors, including us, were hoping for a dull summer to recharge our batteries, but it seems there’s no respite from the CLO machine.

It is quite rare that we recommend playing in the very bottom of the credit spectrum because CCC rated bonds are where at least 95% of all defaults come from, and are significantly more volatile than we would like.

We agree that banks are sitting with an abundance of excess capital and will use some of it to repay shareholder support. However, capital buffers will remain elevated for some time to come,

If we suppose a bond investor views an upcoming event as a potential threat to their positioning, they may attempt to hedge their portfolio with another position. The event passes, and the hedge works, but to the investor maintaining the hedge seems like a good idea in the aftermath. Do you maintain the position or remove it?

So far, lockdown restrictions have suppressed each wave of the virus; will the competent authorities have the conviction to see this latest wave through without erring on the side of caution once again?

Whether the Bank of England halts all purchases in August or merely begins to slow the pace of purchasing later in Q4 this year, by 2022, less technical support will exist for gilts.

TwentyFour Partner and Portfolio Manager, Douglas Charleston, explains how ABS markets have performed in Q2 2021 and provides his outlook for the year ahead.

Based on these metrics, the picture seems rosy, and credit performance looks set to continue through the second half of the year should the main drivers of the recovery remain intact.

As companies and individuals adopt sustainable practices, we believe the potential exists for inflationary consequences.

It feels like we are currently spending at least 40% of our time talking about inflation, or more accurately, why the US Federal Reserve seems to have a different view of inflation to almost everybody else.

Doing the necessary work to understand the difference between companies merely exposed to COVID restrictions and those structurally damaged by them continues to be extremely important.

Douglas Charleston examines the health of labour markets across key developed economies and why ABS investors shouldn’t fear the gradual removal of COVID related job support schemes