1 min readThe ground shook under Washington twice in August, registering 5.8 on the Richter scale and AA+ on the ratings scale. Mother Nature produced the earthquake and Congress, unable to craft a fiscal plan meaningful enough to maintain America’s AAA rating, triggered the ratings tremor. Aftershocks included a string of poor economic data suggesting the current…
2 min read“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” — John F. Kennedy Abstract Collateralized commercial paper (CCP) made its debut last November to institutional cash investors. This new structure allows investors to purchase commercial paper from entities conducting term repos with…
2 min readReflecting back on the 20 years since Capital Advisors Group was founded, I am amused by the numerous security types that have been created for corporate treasurers and short-term cash portfolios. These new security types, and our ensuing risk evaluation of these securities, have been part of the challenge and excitement that has fed our…
3 min readMeet the New Year, same as the old – with a twist. In preparing our treasury investment strategy outlook for 2011, it seems there isn’t much we have not already seen or experienced in 2010 – an exceptionally low interest rate environment, the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, and a wave of financial regulations. Indeed, we…
1 min readJanuary marks the beginning of the third year since the 2008 credit crisis and the third year of consecutive growth of assets under management here at Capital Advisors Group. For this I am thankful to our clients and all the investment professionals here at CAG. Our economy enters 2011 amidst the backdrop of record economic…
3 min readIntroduction As 2010 draws to a close, we cannot help but take note of the sea change in how corporate treasurers are managing their cash portfolios since the capitulation of the financial markets in September 2008. If we characterize 2008 as the year of “shellshock” and 2009 as one of “bunker mentality,” 2010 clearly is…
2 min readNovember ushered in chilly winds as a result of the Fed’s controversial QE2 program as longer-term interest rates shifted higher, raising questions about the unintended consequences of the program. The controversy arrives just as the nation heads into the holiday season, which traditionally is a time to reflect upon the year nearly behind us. Looking…
1 min readAbstract With the Fed on hold for an extended period, institutional cash investors need a new perspective on dealing with the prolonged low yield reality. Our four-step guide reminds investors to expect lower yields in the new environment, increase exposure only to securities supported by strong fundamentals, improve yield potential with moderate maturity extension, and…
3 min readTrading desks across the country serve as conduits through which corporations and banks look to fund their balance sheets. A morning spent on a short term trading desk can be an eye opener for anyone seeking yield opportunities. I like to compare it to the act of peering into a bakery window – you may…
2 min readAbstract This paper attempts to quantify the impact of a liquidity premium in money market funds by modeling three hypothetical portfolios of 29, 60, and 121-day weighted average maturities (WAM). Through our modeling process, we found the WAM extensions would have resulted in 0.11% and 0.31%, respectively, of additional annual yield potential over the 29-day…