A debt instrument that combines a coupon paying bond with the option to convert the bond into common stock at a set price. These are frequently described as hybrid securities because they combine features of debt and equity, converting to ordinary shares at a set date based on a pre-determined ratio. |||Convertible securities like PEACS allow investors to acquire a debt instrument with rights to interest and principal payments without sacrificing the chance to participate in the company's capital appreciation. When a company does well, investors can convert the debenture into stock that has a higher value. When a company is less successful, investors can retain the bond and receive interest and principal payments. Convertible-bond mutual funds can provide a diversified investment in convertibles. These funds are meant to offer most of the upside potential of stocks while limiting downside risk.
A type of fixed-income security where the holder is only entitled to receive regular cash flows that are derived from incoming principal repayments on an underlying loan pool. The loan is often a pool of mortgages in the form of a mortgage-backed security (MBS). |||This security is created by splitting a mortgage-backed security into its interest and principal payments. The principal payments create a string of cash flows which are sold at a discount to investors. These investors will receive the principal portions of the monthly mortgage payments from the underlying pool of loans.The yield on a PO strip depends on the prepayment speed of the underlying loan. The faster the principal is repaid, the higher the yield an investor will receive. Since the investor benefits from faster repayment speeds, he or she is protected from contraction risk. This means that, unlike a usual bond, the investor will benefit from decreases in the interest rate.
A type of debt security that pays interest semiannually and has a yield that is linked to foreign exchange rates. PERLs are denominated in U.S. dollars, but their repayment is determined by the exchange rate between the dollar and a specific foreign currency within a certain time frame. Many companies will purchase PERLs as a means of hedging against foreign exchange risk. |||A company wishing to expand into a foreign currency can safely do so via the purchase of PERLs. The PERLs allow for the currency to retain a link to the dollar. Reverse PERLs are denominated in one currency, but pay interest in another.
A kind of revolving underwriting facility. Prime underwriting facilities peg the lender's yield to the bank's prime rate. Most prime underwriting facilities are short-term notes of some sort. |||The usual prime underwriting facility is a note with a maturity of anywhere from one to three years. In some cases, the lead bank will be unable to place the loan. When this happens, it will ask the underwriter of the facility to fund the balance of the credit.
A pre-approved bank, broker/dealer or other financial institution that is able to make business deals with the U.S. Federal Reserve, such as underwriting new government debt. These dealers must meet certain liquidity and quality requirements as well as provide a valuable flow of information to the Fed about the state of the worldwide markets. |||These primary dealers, which all bid for government contacts competitively, purchase the majority of Treasuries at auction and then redistribute them to their clients, creating the initial market in the process. Some of the well-known primary dealers in the United States include Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Lehman Brothers.
A derivative financial instrument in which the underlying asset is a debt security. Typically, these options give their holders the right to purchase or sell an underlying debt security (usually a bond) or to receive cash payment based on the current value of the underlying debt security. |||This unique type of option has been traded in the past, but is rarely traded in modern financial markets. The yield-based option is a a more commonly traded relative of the priced-based option.
Equity capital that is not quoted on a public exchange. Private equity consists of investors and funds that make investments directly into private companies or conduct buyouts of public companies that result in a delisting of public equity. Capital for private equity is raised from retail and institutional investors, and can be used to fund new technologies, expand working capital within an owned company, make acquisitions, or to strengthen a balance sheet. The majority of private equity consists of institutional investors and accredited investors who can commit large sums of money for long periods of time. Private equity investments often demand long holding periods to allow for a turnaround of a distressed company or a liquidity event such as an IPO or sale to a public company. |||The size of the private equity market has grown steadily since the 1970s. Private equity firms will sometimes pool funds together to take very large public companies private. Many private equity firms conduct what are known as leveraged buyouts (LBOs), where large amounts of debt are issued to fund a large purchase. Private equity firms will then try to improve the financial results and prospects of the company in the hope of reselling the company to another firm or cashing out via an IPO.
A governmental or private entity that pools mortgages and other loans. The entity will then issue pass- or pay-through securities in its own name, as a private conduit to investors. Many private conduits are now backed by mortgages, credit card receivables and other loans. |||These conduits enable banks and thrifts to more easily sell their loans to investors in the secondary market. This is because smaller lenders are not restricted by the size of the pool or limitations on eligibility. GNMA and FHLMC offered the first private conduits.