Corporates and funds
Equity derivatives aided BlackRock funds in March
Flagship Strategic Income Opportunities fund posted $253 million in net derivatives gains at height of Covid crunch
BlackRock's muni funds slow to rebound from Covid crunch
Cumulative returns have barely edged up for these funds since end-March
Short funds’ moment in the sun is over
DSB funds are in the red year-to-date after a spectacular performance through March
At height of Covid crisis, eurozone MMFs scrambled for cash
MMFs hold the bulk of eurozone banks’ commercial paper
Margin calls on eurozone funds rose fivefold in March
ECB data shows some funds faced liquidity squeeze as VM calls flooded in
Investors abandoned junk bond ETFs in March
Forced sale of ‘fallen angels’ could exacerbate outflows at end-April
Hedge funds cut short US Treasury futures exposure – CFTC data
Short open interest held by leveraged participants down 23% from 12-month peak
Munich Re’s capital requirement jumped 19% in 2019
Interest rate declines added €2.2bn to SCR
Eurozone real estate funds build equity holdings
Net purchases of equity hit €18.2 billion
Equity gains bolster EU hedge funds’ portfolios
Funds were net sellers of equities, but market gains added +10% to balance sheet values
EU funds loaded up on US debt in 2019
Net purchases of US debt up +962% in 2019
‘Fallen angels’ pose little threat to EU funds
Passive fund outflows in a credit crisis would put pressure on high-yield bond prices
At Apple, derivatives notionals top $178bn
Credit loss amounts rocket on rate and currency fluctuations
Hedge funds levered up in 2018
Relative value funds have highest adjusted leverage, at 7,155%
Liquidity risks acute for popular retail funds – Esma
Eight per cent of real estate fund NAV may be withdrawn over a one-day period
At US G-Sibs, swap exposures to corporates climb $43bn in Q3
BofA Securities’ exposures to hedge funds plummets following spike in Q1
EU funds buy €89bn of overseas debt in Q3
Net purchases year-to-date almost three times total transactions in 2018
Fed underscores run risk of corporate bond funds
Total AUM of junk bond and bank loan funds was around $350 billion in Q2 2019
EU alternative funds hold €17bn of CLOs
Over 50% of AIF exposures concentrated in top 20 funds
Currency risk drives EU equity fund derivatives use
Just 27.6% of Ucits equity funds traded derivatives in Esma sample
EU high-yield funds at risk of liquidity shock – Esma
High-yield bond funds have just 13% of NAV in high-quality liquid assets on average
Ford reaps derivatives gains following interest rates dip
Swap assets of automaker’s financial services unit hit $1.2 billion
FICC dominates US Treasury repo in Q2
Clearing house’s sponsored programme claimed $449.7 billion of US Treasury-backed trades
Derivatives assets surge at eurozone hedge funds
Derivatives assets made up 16% of total hedge fund assets in March