6 min readHow the availability of ESG data is changing the way investors can apply ESG to their decision-making process Much of the commentary surrounding ESG investing hails it as an approach which has largely been developed and risen to prominence in recent years. While its rapid rise in popularity since the COVID pandemic has led to…
5 min readHow China’s reopening may have implications on the global economy and credit markets The last domino is falling. Nearly three years ago, the world shut down in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, causing a massive slowdown in consumer spending and major disruptions to supply chains. Since then, as people have logged off Zoom and emerged…
11 min readIntroduction By Lance Pan, CFA Since we started publishing the annual “themes to watch” series in 2008, this edition marks our 16th anniversary of looking at key market-moving trends for institutional cash investors. To shake off our Covid-induced autophobia (fear of being alone), I enlisted members of my credit research team to co-author last year’s…
2 min readInsight and Perspective on the economy and your cash portfolio After multiple interest rate increases since March 2022, institutional cash investors are welcoming higher returns but wary of the possibility that an economic slowdown or recession might increase credit risk in their cash portfolio. Watch our latest Quarterly Cash Update for insights and perspective on…
7 min readHow Russia’s halt on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline may lead to energy shortages in Europe Co-authored by: Matthew Paniati As the US economy faces high inflation, slowing growth, and aggressive monetary policy, another macroeconomic threat has presented itself overseas. On August 31st, 2022, Russian-controlled Gazprom PJSC announced an indefinite halt on natural gas flows…
14 min readIntroduction With the 75-basis-point hike in the Fed funds rate on September 21st, Fed officials now peg their median forecast for the key policy rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range by the end of the year. The resulting rise in bond yields has been so breathtaking that the previous expectation that Fed funds would end the…
7 min readThe old saying that the only constant is change rings true in the realm of ESG investing. The pace at which the ESG landscape continues to shift is remarkable, and it routinely leaves government organizations, companies and investors struggling to keep step. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, there is now a demand for greater consistency and transparency…
3 min readThe global economic landscape and cash investing have experienced sizeable market shifts in the past year due to the ongoing disruptions to supply chains, geopolitical tensions with the conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation across the globe and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate tightening cycle. Institutional cash investors will need to monitor all these ongoing disruptions…
13 min readAs the market’s attention was drawn to the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, runaway inflation, and higher interest rates, a significant deadline quietly passed. April 11 marked the end of the comment period for the new round of money market fund (MMF) reforms proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As the Fed…
16 min readIntroduction It has been our tradition to offer up three broad themes that will likely have the greatest impact on cash investments in the new year. After the research staff endured 20 months of work-from-home, I wanted to reward endurance by inviting them to each pick a theme for this look-ahead piece, hence the “three…