The behaviour of AMP exposed by the Royal Commission shows that it had no fear of ASIC. Here’s how ASIC can change this.
Credit Snapshots – April 2018
Covenant Lite You know it’s late in the credit cycle when credit investors give away their key protections in return for just a little more yield. This acquiesce comes in different forms, including higher levels of leverage, longer dated debt, subordinated debt and weakened or eliminated covenants commonly referred to as “covenant lite”. This risk […]
The Economics of Population Growth
This article discusses both the obvious and the unseen implications of population growth, with the aim of allowing all Australians and particularly our leaders to consider whether a bigger Australia is better.
Credit Snapshots – March 2018
Bite size updates on the Libor spike, Toy’s R Us, franking credit changes and the Banking Royal Commission
Credit Snapshots – February 2018
Bite size updates on US government debt, Chinese margin lending and bank capital
Short Volatility is a Legitimate Investment Strategy
The criticism of short volatility strategies in the wake of the recent VIX spike is misguided and uniformed. If correctly managed, short volatility strategies have a history of producing outsized returns.
IMF on China: A Downturn is Inevitable
A recent paper from the IMF concludes that China may be able to continue its current trajectory for the medium term but in the long term a downturn, likely accompanied by a banking crisis is inevitable.
Credit Snapshots
Bite size updates on high yield spreads, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and China.
Investors Should Loiter Around the Lifeboats
Investors are facing a similar conundrum to a person onboard the Titanic’s maiden voyage who knows how the journey will end. The correct response to the risk ahead is to loiter around the lifeboats in credit and equity investments.
If Australian Politicians Cared About Housing Affordability Here’s What They Would Do
If Australian politicians care about housing affordability and the quality of life of Australians, they will quit talking and start implementing these eight obvious and needed changes.
Four Lessons from Toys R Us and Puerto Rico’s Defaults
The defaults by Toys R Us and Puerto Rico were remarkably similar, even though corporate debt and sovereign debt are quite different. This article highlights three lessons that can be taken from both and one lesson that highlights a key difference between corporate and sovereign debt.
Would You Lend to Tajikistan?
The issue of bonds by Tajikistan this month follows on from recent low quality bond issues from Argentina, Greece and Iraq.