Bonds

Bullish credit spreads don’t tell the whole story

12 May 2006

Fears of a downturn in the bonds markets are not being reflected in credit spreads, which remain remarkably buoyant. Why? The answer lies in the growing demand for credit derivatives, used in structured debt products. These are keeping spreads artificially low.

Biggest high-yield hybrid to test appetite

9 May 2006

Lottomatica is selling a E750m hybrid bond the largest junk hybrid in Europe despite some uncertainty in the US market. AArated Swiss Re s recent $2bn hybrid deal was well received, and early indications are that demand for a junk deal will also be strong.

Viacom bondholders give in too easily

11 Apr 2006

They settled for a sweetened price on last week s $4.8bn bond deal. True, Viacom s growth and cash flows look healthy. But it s also buying back stock and hunting for deals. Given chairman Sumner Redstone s record, bondholders should have pushed for more.

Trump’s move into mortgages looks ill-timed

7 Apr 2006

Sure, there has been a pickup in US mortgage applications. But that looks like a false dawn. The homelending business suffers from excess capacity and loan volumes are liable to collapse.

Cable company cuts out bank lenders

30 Mar 2006

German cable company Unity Media has replaced all its bank debt with bonds, giving the company more flexibility for not much extra cost. This is yet another example of investors stepping on banks toes. Before they were buying pieces of loans, now they are replacing them.

Investors could get angry over geared CDOs

10 Mar 2006

Using highly geared structures to jack up returns seems like a good idea when spreads are tight and credit conditions are benign. But as the potential downgrade of a Barclays CDO shows, these types of deals could really come back to haunt investors.

Linde shows why hybrid capital is so handy

6 Mar 2006

One reason the German gases group's E12bn offer for BOC succeeded is the availability of cheap financing through hybrid capital. That has allowed Linde to retain a more favourable investmentgrade rating while issuing only a small amount of equity.

Weather uses clever bond to gear up further

24 Feb 2006

The highlyleveraged vehicle which owns Italian mobile group Wind has found a way to raise money relatively cheaply with a convertible. The clever bit? The bond swaps into shares of a hot listed subsidiary. But Weather hopes to redeem it with its own shares if it can float.

E.on deal could set debt financing record

21 Feb 2006

Raising the cash shouldn t be hard. Capital is plentiful and banks are even more eager to lend for M&A than last time. The financing package for its allcash offer for Endesa could surpass the E30bn high water mark set in Europe s last takeover boom.

BAA shouldn’t change its E2.9bn bond deal

10 Feb 2006

Bond investors are up in arms because Ferrovial s highly leveraged approach to BAA has caused bonds to fall in value. They now want a change of control clause inserted into the deal, but doing so would be a poison pill that isn t in shareholders interest.

Public companies mimic LBO structures

10 Feb 2006

Look at US IT services firm, ACS. It is borrowing $3.3bn to buy back 45% of its shares after talks to sell to private equity fell through. While leveraged recaps of public firms can create value, there s a risk companies will overpay for their stock.

BAA gives in on bond deal

10 Feb 2006

In agreeing to insert a changeofcontrol clause into its recent E2.9bn bond, it may seem that the group is selling shareholders short. But the bondholders have been able to argue that Ferrovial s leveraged approach to BAA gave them the ability to wriggle out of the deal.

Bernanke must earn his spurs as inflation-fighter

27 Jan 2006

The market expects just two more rate hikes, totaling 50 basis points, from the Federal Reserve. However, with the economy strong and credit conditions easy, Helicopter Ben may have to raise rates more than that.

Ineos cleverly exploits appetite for yield

27 Jan 2006

The UK chemicals group has succeeded in squeezing better terms for the financing package accompanying its E7.4bn purchase of BP s Innovene. Ineos has proved that, for the right deal, debt issuers can drive a hard bargain in this market.

Private equity could call TDC bondholders’ bluff

25 Jan 2006

TDC s creditors have overplayed their hand by rejecting the company s new private equity owners offer to buy them out at par. The bondholders are overestimating their nuisance value. The private equity firms don t need to buy them out to get the deal done.

Oracle leads tech to leverage-land

13 Jan 2006

The software giant has taken its first steps into the world of indebtedness. Other tech companies with stable cash flows should follow suit. But they also need to deal with their stockpiles of cash. This should foster further M&A in the tech sector.

It’s time for a bondholder value revolution

13 Jan 2006

Leveraged buyouts and other actions friendly to shareholders continue to threaten already meagre returns on corporate bonds. Investmentgrade bond investors need stronger covenants as defence against the depredations of shareholders. Now is the time to demand them.

2005 a banner year for US credit growth

30 Dec 2005

Credit growth has continued to outpace economic expansion. As a result, the US economy avoided its day of reckoning last year. However, it hasn t been cancelled. And with more debts to pay, the final bill will be much higher.

TDC buyers learn from ISS rumpus

23 Dec 2005

They are buying back the Danish telco s existing bonds. The ISS buyout caused a huge legal row when its buyers left the bonds in place. But this probably wasn t a tough decision. It avoids a huge fuss, and doesn t hurt the buyers economically.

Another US bank gets hit by the yield curve

15 Dec 2005

Commerce Bancorp is paying the price for rapidly growing its securities portfolio. The flattening yield curve is hitting profits. Its portfolio restructuring is not enough. The bank is likely to come under pressure next year, and may be forced to raise more capital.