ACP: Deteriorating Credit Market Decreases Appeal (Rating Downgrade)
The abrdn Income Credit Strategies Fund (ACP) has been downgraded to a Sell as its net asset value continues to erode in a deteriorating credit market. The fund’s 17.5% dividend yield is unsustainable, with more than half of distributions funded by return of capital. Approximately 96% of the portfolio sits below investment grade, exposing investors to high leverage and short‑duration risk amid rising rates. Without a dividend cut or relief from higher interest costs, the fund’s NAV and share price are expected to decline further despite trading at a discount.
SalMar - Update of Issuer Credit Rating From Nordic Credit Rating
Nordic Credit Rating upgraded Norway‑based salmon farmer SalMar ASA to a BBB long‑term issuer rating with a stable outlook on 20 March 2026. The agency highlighted the company's strong profitability and moderate financial leverage as key drivers. The rating places SalMar in...
One Alliance North America Targets Debut $100m One Shield Re Catastrophe Bond
One Alliance North America Insurance Company is launching its first catastrophe bond through Bermuda‑based One Shield Re Ltd., targeting at least $100 million of multi‑peril reinsurance. The Series 2026‑1 Class A tranche will provide three‑year coverage for named storms across six states and...
FTSE 100 Live: Gilt Yields Soar, Bank of England Rate Hike Fears Grow, Wetherspoon Shares Tumble
UK gilt yields surged to just under 5%, the highest level since 2008, as markets price in expectations of Bank of England rate hikes. Unilever entered talks to sell its foods business to McCormick, while discount retailer The Works saw...
Fitch Upgrades Tenet’s Credit Rating
Fitch Ratings upgraded Tenet Healthcare’s credit rating to BB from BB‑, citing a stronger competitive position and improved liquidity. The for‑profit system posted double‑digit revenue growth in its high‑margin ambulatory surgery segment and sold 14 hospitals, funding a $2.1 billion debt...
Illinois Will Return to Market with a $1.4 Billion GO Deal
Illinois is set to re‑enter the municipal bond market next week with a $1.4 billion general‑obligation issuance. The proceeds will fund accelerated pension‑benefit payments, the Rebuild Illinois capital program, IT upgrades and other infrastructure projects. The deal includes a $200 million taxable...
Monetary Policy Decisions
The European Central Bank kept its three key policy rates unchanged on 19 March 2026, maintaining the deposit facility at 2.00 %, the main refinancing rate at 2.15 % and the marginal lending facility at 2.40 %. It highlighted that inflation is hovering around the...
Allstate’s Pre-Tax Cat Loss for Current Aggregate Year Reaches $3.072bn After February
Allstate reported a $140 million pre‑tax catastrophe loss for February 2026, raising its current aggregate risk‑period losses to $3.072 billion. Year‑to‑date pre‑tax losses now total $315 million, with after‑tax figures at $249 million. Severe convective storms in March could add low‑to‑mid‑single‑digit billions in insured...
Nashville to Price About $502 Million in Midst of Growth
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County is set to price about $502 million of general‑obligation refunding bonds on March 19, led by BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley. The Series 2026D issue carries AA‑plus ratings from S&P and KBRA and yields ranging...
Amundi Lists Global Ex-US Government Bond ETF on London Stock Exchange
Amundi has listed its Global ex‑US Government Bond UCITS ETF (ticker GXUS) on the London Stock Exchange. The physical, sampling‑based ETF tracks the Bloomberg Global Treasury Large Markets DM ex US Index, providing exposure to investment‑grade sovereign debt from developed...
UOB Prices Rmb5bn Panda Bond; DB and BNP Paribas Also Issue Bonds in March
Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) priced a three‑year panda bond worth RMB 5 billion at a 1.83% yield on March 18, marking a notable entry into China’s offshore yuan market. In the same month, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas each issued panda bonds exceeding RMB 5 billion,...
Market Intelligence Brief: The Pivot to Hikes? Reassessing the June Fed Outlook
Market pricing now shows a 19.2% chance of a Fed rate hike by June, overtaking the 17.3% probability of a cut. The shift stems from a perfect storm of cost‑push inflation and heightened geopolitical risk, notably the U.S.–Iran conflict driving...
Moody's Downgrades the Met and The New School
Moody's downgraded New York's Metropolitan Opera Association to Caa1 from B3, pushing it deeper into junk territory, and lowered The New School's rating to Baa1 from A3. The Met faces a $120 million endowment draw, $178 million debt, and liquidity constraints with...
Munis Little Changed, USTs See Losses After Fed Holds Rates
Municipal bonds were largely unchanged Wednesday while U.S. Treasuries slipped after the Federal Reserve left rates steady. The Investment Company Institute reported $782 million of weekly inflows into municipal bond funds, following $1.452 billion the week prior, and ETFs attracted $903 million. Raymond James...
PREPA Parties Discuss Path Forward
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain urged the Puerto Rico Oversight Board to consider a contingent vehicle instrument (CVI) in its PREPA plan of adjustment as parties grapple with the size of bondholders' secured claim. The board has offered bondholders...
Iran War Isn't Spooking Muni Buyers yet, but They're Keeping Eye on Transportation Credits
Municipal bond investors remain unfazed by the Iran‑Israel‑U.S. conflict, viewing munis as a domestic safe‑haven despite rising oil prices and Treasury yields. New‑issue issuance dipped below $10 billion this week, yet demand stayed strong, with several deals oversubscribed. Transportation‑related credits, especially...
Short-Term Bond ETFs Are Still Fashionable
Short‑term bond ETFs remain a practical choice despite recent rate cuts, offering investors low‑cost exposure to conservative fixed‑income assets. While longer‑duration bonds promise higher yields and greater price sensitivity to rate moves, short‑term funds excel as liquid savings tools and...
Municipal Bankruptcy Stays Rare, but Credit Stress Keeps Chapter 9 in Focus
The municipal bond market faces heightened credit stress in 2026, but actual bankruptcies remain uncommon. While the ratio of upgrades to downgrades tightens, sector‑specific risks are emerging in project finance, housing, and healthcare issuances. Chapter 9 remains limited to municipalities, with...
Traders Rethink Fed Rates Outlook as Growth Worries Build
Bond traders are rapidly unwinding short bets on U.S. Treasuries as confidence returns that the Federal Reserve can deliver at least one 25‑basis‑point rate cut by the end of 2026. The two‑year yield slipped roughly 10 basis points after peaking...
Cat Bond Issuance Could Set New Records for Both February and March in 2026
Catastrophe bond issuance in the first quarter of 2026 is projected between $6.34 billion and $6.54 billion, making it the second‑largest Q1 on record. February 2026 already broke the $2 billion threshold and March is on track to exceed $3 billion, setting new monthly...
QAI: Hedge Fund Replication ETF With TIPs-Like Return And Risk
The NYLI Hedge Multi‑Strategy Tracker ETF (QAI) offers investors hedge‑fund style exposure through a blend of ETFs and swaps, charging a 0.88% expense ratio and delivering a 1.47% trailing‑12‑month yield. Launched in 2009, QAI emphasizes high‑quality, floating‑rate investment‑grade debt and...
SES Successfully Prices €650 Million of SPACE Hybrid Securities
SES Financing S.à r.l., a wholly‑owned subsidiary of satellite operator SES, priced a €650 million PNC5.25 Subordinated Perpetual with Automatic Conversion Events (SPACE) hybrid security on 24 March 2026. The issue, carrying a 7.375% coupon and callable at par from 2031, was five...
Morningstar DBRS Comments on the City of Calgary's Commercial Paper Program Limit Increase; Commercial Paper Credit Rating Unchanged at R-1...
Morningstar DBRS reports that Calgary has increased its commercial paper program limit to $500 million, up from $400 million, while maintaining an R‑1 (high) rating with a stable outlook. The city’s cash and investment portfolio stands at $7.1 billion, including $756.5 million of short‑term...
State Bank of India Mops up ₹6,051 Cr via 10-Year Basel III Compliant Tier 2 Bonds at 7.05%
State Bank of India raised ₹6,051 crore by issuing a 10‑year Basel III‑compliant Tier 2 bond at a 7.05% coupon. The issue carries a call option after five years and on each subsequent anniversary. The bonds received bids roughly twice the ₹5,000 crore target,...
RBI Fixes Redemption Price of ₹15,814 for SGB
India’s central bank, the RBI, announced a premature redemption price of ₹15,814 per unit for the 2019‑20 Series IV Sovereign Gold Bonds, payable on March 17. The price, derived from the three‑day average of gold’s closing rates, translates to a more than...
Brazil Steps Up Bond Market Intervention as Oil Upends Rates
Brazil's National Treasury announced an expanded bond market intervention after a sharp rise in oil prices lifted inflation expectations and pushed sovereign yields upward. The authority increased direct purchases and offered additional liquidity to stabilize benchmark rates and limit volatility....
Kuwait Returns To The Global Debt Market
Kuwait re‑entered the international sovereign market in September 2024, issuing an $11.25 billion eurobond – its first external debt sale since 2017. The issuance was enabled by a new debt law approved in March 2025 that authorises up to KD30 billion (≈$97 billion)...
Clifford Capital Raises First Australian Dollar IABS at A$455m
Clifford Capital, a Singapore‑based infrastructure credit platform, completed its inaugural Australian‑dollar Infrastructure Asset‑Backed Securities (IABS) issuance, raising A$455 million across four tranches. The deal marks the firm’s first foray into the Australian market and represents the largest private placement of IABS...
Rates Spark: The Impact Is No Longer Transitory
The U.S. 10‑year Treasury yield is projected to climb into a 4.25‑4.5% band before easing back toward 4%, driven by higher nominal and real yields after the war’s shock. Even as the conflict winds down, inflation expectations remain structurally elevated,...
How Active Management Can Capture Yield In Today's Bond Environment
Late 2025 saw long‑term U.S. Treasury yields climb even as the Fed signaled easing. The divergence stems from stubborn inflation, heightened global bond issuance, and waning central‑bank demand. Active managers now recommend tilting toward intermediate‑term Treasuries, high‑quality corporates, and municipals...
Bank of America Increases Hyperscaler Issuance Forecast to $175 Billion
Bank of America raised its 2026 forecast for investment‑grade debt sales to hyperscalers by 25%, now projecting $175 billion in total issuance. The bank still expects $65 billion of new hyperscaler bonds to be issued this year. The revision follows Amazon’s $54 billion...
AI Credit Boom Brings New Risks for Bond Investors
AI-driven data‑center spending is flooding bond markets with unprecedented infrastructure debt, exemplified by the $27 billion Beignet Investor joint venture between Meta and Blue Owl. T. Rowe Price warns that many of these bonds are concentrated in a handful of hyperscaler tenants, creating...
One of BAM’s Fidus Re Financial Guarantee ILS Gets Ratings Revised to Positive by KBRA
Build America Mutual Assurance Company (BAM) saw Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) upgrade the outlook on its Fidus Re Series 2022-1 financial guarantee ILS to Positive, while reaffirming AA+ on the 2021-1 series and AA on the 2022-1 and 2025-1...
Treasury Yields May Still Be Headed Higher
Treasury yields slipped briefly on Monday but technical analysis suggests the decline is temporary. 5‑year yields, which fell to their lowest since October 2024, are still below the high reached in January and remain in a large‑degree B‑wave correction that historically...
State Farm Sets up Another Merna Re Structure in Bermuda, Likely for Future Cat Bonds
State Farm has registered a new Bermuda special‑purpose insurer, Merna Re Enterprise II Ltd., likely to support upcoming catastrophe‑bond issuances. The move follows a decade‑long strategy of using Merna Re entities, which have funded $3 billion of cat‑bond protection and a...
Another Oklahoma Winter Storm-Related Bond Issue Challenged
In 2022 Oklahoma issued $2.89 billion of utility bonds to recover costs from Winter Storm Uri, with $1.35 billion allocated to Oklahoma Natural Gas. Republican lawmakers filed a state Supreme Court brief alleging the Oklahoma Corporation Commission failed required audits of those...
3 Top-Ranked Municipal Bond Funds to Help Build Steady Income
Municipal bond mutual funds remain a top choice for risk‑averse investors seeking tax‑free income, trailing only government securities in safety. Zacks highlights three funds—Vanguard Intermediate‑Term Tax‑Exempt (VWITX), Eaton Vance Total Return Bond (EBABX), and American High‑Income Municipal Bond (AMHIX)—each holding...
SBS Misses Debt Deadline, In Creditor Standstill After Default
Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) missed its March 1 deadline on $310 million senior secured notes and entered a 30‑day creditor standstill. Majority holders of the 9.750 % notes have agreed to forbear while negotiations explore new financing, term extensions or restructuring. SBS reported...
Covered Bond Markets at a Glance: Austria
Morningstar DBRS released its latest "Covered Bond Markets at a Glance" report focusing on Austria. The report highlights a €110 billion outstanding covered‑bond portfolio, placing Austria among the world’s top ten markets. Mortgage‑backed programmes dominate, with residential loans outpacing commercial, while...
Senegal’s Crisis: Why Debt Restructuring May Be the Least Bad Option
Senegal’s public debt has surged to roughly 132% of GDP, with annual servicing costs of about $9.1 billion. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has dismissed debt restructuring, opting instead to close 19 government agencies to save roughly $98 million over three years. The...
CITADEL FINANCE LLC Section 3(c)(7) Important Notice
Citadel Finance LLC issued $1 billion of 5.9% senior notes due 2030, closing February 10, 2025, underwritten by Goldman Sachs with BNY Mellon as paying agent. The Depository Trust Company issued a Section 3(c)(7) notice requiring all purchases and transfers to occur...
New Participant in the Netting System of the Government Securities Division of FICC: KeyBank National Association – GSD #9405
KeyBank National Association has been added as a new participant (ID 9405) in the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation’s Government Securities Division netting system, effective March 19, 2026. The change applies to Netting (Buy/Sell), Repo Netting, and the Government Central Fund...
China’s 30-Year Yields Set for Highest Close Since 2024 on Oil
China’s 30‑year government bond yields climbed to 2.4%, the highest closing level since September 2024, as oil prices surged amid the Iran‑Israel conflict. The 10‑year benchmark also edged higher to 1.83%, reflecting broader inflation concerns. Futures on the 30‑year bond fell...
PS Quarterly Interview: Desmond Lachman
In a recent Project Syndicate interview, economist Desmond Lachman warns that President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy could revive bond‑market vigilantes and destabilize the U.S. Treasury market. He argues that such stress may puncture the soaring AI‑related equity rally and...
GCC Bond, Sukuk Issuances Plunge Amid Iran War- #CapitalMarkets #Finance #Treasury #Finance
GCC dollar‑denominated bond and sukuk issuances have plunged since the Iran war erupted, despite the region’s strong credit fundamentals earlier in 2026. The GCC still represents roughly 40% of all emerging‑market dollar issuance this year, with outstanding DCM at $1.2 trillion....
Mounting Interest Costs Pushed Debt Service Bill to P2.1 Trillion
The Philippines’ debt service bill surged to P2.1 trillion in 2025, a 4 percent increase over the previous year and 2.44 percent above the government’s P2.05‑trillion target. Interest payments jumped 11.8 percent to P854.1 billion, representing 19.4 percent of total revenues and 14.3 percent of expenditures. Domestic...
Northern Funds Multi-Manager Emerging Markets Debt Opportunity Fund Q4 2025 Commentary
Northern Funds’ Multi‑Manager Emerging Markets Debt Opportunity Fund matched its blended benchmark in Q4 2025, delivering an 8.63% return versus 8.62% for the index. The fund’s outperformance stemmed from a zero‑weight position in Egypt’s local‑currency debt and overweight exposure to sovereign...
Never Cutters, Part 2: 5 More High-Yield CEFs That Have Never Cut The Distribution
The article spotlights five high‑yield closed‑end funds—BIT, BME, BST, BUI and GLU—that have never reduced their distributions in at least ten years, making them attractive for income‑focused retirees. BIT offers nearly 12% yield but shows weakening earnings coverage and rising...
JPMorgan Makes Bold Push to Offload Huge LBO Debt
JPMorgan Chase is preparing to place more than $30 billion of leveraged‑finance debt for upcoming buyouts, including Electronic Arts, Sealed Air and a pending Qualtrics transaction. The bank’s effort follows CEO Jamie Dimon’s warnings that the credit cycle could turn sour,...
Brazil’s Corporate Debt Drama Is Entering a New Chapter
Brazilian corporations have re‑entered the spotlight as two major firms announced out‑of‑court restructurings covering roughly $13.5 billion of debt. The moves, reported by Bloomberg’s The Brink, signal a shift from judicial to market‑driven solutions amid Brazil’s lingering economic slowdown. Investment banks...