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Category: Daily Instagraph

Good company versus good investment

By root

There is in our humble opinion little to comment on the Fed’s action and comments yesterday except their need to satisfy 2 opposing camps: on the one hand the comments and a 25 bps hike need to be dovish enough to reassure the banking system and, on the other hand, hawkish enough to reassure markets … Continued

N°1 worry

By root

The latest BofA Global Fund Manager Survey illustrates the change in mood amongst professional fund managers. The risk of a systemic credit event is now considered by far the biggest tail risk for financial markets replacing inflation as the top worry. Hawkish central banks, geopolitics, recession risks and stock crash worries are left far behind. … Continued

Black gold

By root

The oil price has lost 44% since June last year. Over the past weeks it has continued to weaken due to the crisis englobing SVB to Credit Suisse. As investors like easy narratives, we started to see comparisons with the behaviour of the oil price during the Global Financial Crisis. To us this looks premature … Continued

Wiped out

By root

A take-over for 3 bn CHF (0.75 CHF): today’s headline on Credit Suisse in the FT reads much better than the underlying reality is. It is now clear that Credit Suisse could not have survived without this UBS take-over. Let this sink in: a modern bank run on a systemically relevant bank created a situation … Continued

The central banker’s dilemma

By root

Today’s graph is about a fundamental change in the bond market that occurred over the last 10 days: it summarizes the expectations for further 25 bps interest rate increases by the Fed. The trouble in the banking sector, that started with SVB but now englobed banks globally like systemically relevant Credit Suisse, has fundamentally changed … Continued

Leave on Paradeplatz what belongs to Paradeplatz

By root

The Swiss National Bank stepped in yesterday night to allow Credit Suisse to borrow 50 bn CHF from a central bank liquidity facility and to make a tender offer to buy back up to three billion francs of dollar- and euro-denominated debt. This lifeline will probably help to take out some of the drama and … Continued

Risk-free returns

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The larger US banks who are not threatened by imminent bank runs are currently earning risk-free returns as, on average, they still provide deposit rates of 0.48% while money market funds currently pay 4.42%. This means a 3.94% net interest margin while placing the deposits with little additional credit or duration risk. With such juicy … Continued

Global shockwave

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Global financial stocks have lost $465 billion in market value in two days as investors run for the exits. The mood remains downbeat throughout Asia this morning. The banks that considered the weakest are being hurt most. Close to home, Credit Suisse Group’s stock lost 9.6% on Monday. What is more worrying to us is … Continued

Sending the cavalry

By root

That was quick: late Sunday US authorities announced a new backstop for banks that should be big enough to protect all bank deposits. This news came after the closing of New York’s Signature Bank and will fully protect depositor’s money. With this important move, the risk of contagion and more bank runs has been significantly … Continued

Modern Bank run ?

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There is some stress amongst investors in the US banking sector: the US index of banking stocks ( KBW Bank Index ) experienced its biggest drop yesterday since June 2020. Hold on a second: the current environment should be good for banks as rising interest rates support net interest margins and the profits for banks. … Continued