19 Oct, 2017

Listed Security vs Unlisted Security

By |2017-10-19T01:37:27+11:00Oct 19, 2017|Education|

In credit markets, both listed and unlisted securities allow investors to buy an asset and potentially earn a return. Listed securities are usually traded on an exchange platform (such as the ASX) whereas unlisted securities’ trading generally takes place in an over-the-counter (OTC) market. This article provides a basic comparison between the two types of instruments in terms of quality [...]

21 Sep, 2017

$800 million Government Bond Sold to a Single Buyer – How Does that Happen?

By |2017-09-21T04:08:58+10:00Sep 21, 2017|Education|

In early July, a sole bidder purchased the entirety of the $800 million primary issue of new Australian government bonds with a 2029 maturity (12-years). This was the highest ever for a single bidder since official statistics started in 1982. In early September, another lone buyer purchased the entire $500 million issuance of government bonds in a single bid. To [...]

6 Sep, 2017

UK to phase out LIBOR, What Next For Australia?

By |2017-09-06T07:22:54+10:00Sep 6, 2017|Education, Market Commentary|

In July 2017, the UK financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates LIBOR, announced that the global base rate would be phased out over the next four years, ending in 2021. Although it is unclear what will replace it. The London Interbank Offer Rate, LIBOR, is the benchmark interest rate that many of the largest banks in the [...]

24 Aug, 2017

The Risk in Using Shares For Income

By |2017-08-24T02:02:49+10:00Aug 24, 2017|Education, Market Commentary|

As we have progressed through reporting season, credit fundamentals have broadly remained intact with strong balance sheets, high liquidity and conservative capital management policies.  There have been no material deviations for our investment thesis with earnings being largely credit neutral across the spectrum.  However, as always, there have been winners and losers in the equity market, which has highlighted the [...]

24 Aug, 2017

What is a Social Bond?

By |2021-09-24T10:43:37+10:00Aug 24, 2017|Bonds, Education|

In an earlier article, we explored Ethical Fixed Income in Australia. In relation to this, an ethical product which is grabbing the interest of global investors are Social Benefit Bonds (SBBs). A social benefit bond (SBB) is an innovative way to match investors and outcomes which aims to better the wider society that we all live in via a targeted [...]

24 Aug, 2017

Dissecting Hybrid Valuation

By |2021-09-24T10:43:38+10:00Aug 24, 2017|Education, Hybrids|

In Australia’s low-yield environment, higher-risk income securities (i.e. hybrids) tend to be more favoured for their attractive returns. However, the yield of a hybrid varies based on many factors. Perhaps most important are the assumptions of when the security will be redeemed or converted. Conventionally, hybrid securities are either called on their first call date (or each interest payment thereafter) [...]

7 Aug, 2017

AUSTRAC: Compliance and Credit

By |2017-08-07T23:34:22+10:00Aug 7, 2017|Case Study, Education|

On the 3rd August 2017, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) initiated civil penalties proceedings against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) for ‘serious and systematic non-compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act)’. Alleged breaches of the AML/CTF Act include failure to perform risk assessment on CBA’s own Intelligent Deposit Machines (IDMs), failure [...]

13 Jul, 2017

Accrued Interest: What is it and how does it work?

By |2017-07-13T02:35:28+10:00Jul 13, 2017|Education|

In context of bond valuations, accrued interest is defined as the difference between the dirty and clean price. It is the interest that has accrued but not been paid since the last payment date. In most cases securities are not traded on payment dates and therefore investors are entitled to the interest earned but have not received for the period [...]

13 Jul, 2017

Franking Credits in Fixed Income Investing (90 day holding period rule)

By |2021-09-24T10:43:38+10:00Jul 13, 2017|Education, Hybrids|

For investors of Australian shares, dividends paid to them by Australian resident companies are taxed under a system known as 'imputation'. It is called an imputation system because the tax paid by a company may be imputed or attributed to the shareholders. The tax paid by the company is allocated to shareholders by way of franking credits attached to the dividends [...]

14 Jun, 2017

Investors Push for Cash ETFs

By |2021-09-24T10:43:38+10:00Jun 14, 2017|Deposits, Education|

In the current low-growth, low-yield environment, there is no question investors are finding it difficult to generate short-term returns with an acceptable level of risk.  For this reason, there has been a push for new products that represent an alternative to traditional cash investments (i.e. term deposits). For this reason, ‘Cash’ Exchange Traded Funds (Cash ETFs) have gained traction among [...]