The use of a financial agreement - usually a credit derivative such as a credit default swap, total return swap, or credit linked note - to mitigate the risk of loss from default by a borrower or bond issuer. |||Credit default insurance allows for the transfer of credit risk without the transfer of an underlying asset. The most widely used type of credit default insurance is a credit default swap. Credit default swaps transfer credit risk only; they do not transfer interest rate risk. Total return swaps transfer both credit and interest rate risk.
The overarching strategy or theory used by either a retail investor or an institutional money manager to set asset allocation and choose individual securities for investment. The investment style of a fund helps set expectations for long-term performance potential and aids in advertising the fund to investors looking for a specific type of market exposure. Taobiz explains Investment Style Most mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) employ a consistent investment style. An investment style can be broadly drawn, such as "international bonds", or finely tuned, such as "mid-cap value stocks that pay steady income". With the majority of mutual funds and ETFs, managers are limited by their prospectus as to what kind of securities they may own. The portfolio managers of a healthcare fund, for example, must be invested in only healthcare-related companies, even if they don't feel the sector is a good place to be. No one investment style is inherently better than another; the key is to find a style that suits an investor's appetite for risk while remaining a sufficient level of diversification.
An electronic security exchange based in Tokyo, Japan. Originally an over the counter market, Jasdaq launched an electronic trading platform featuring an automated quotation system similar to the Nasdaq. Taobiz explains Japan Association Of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation - Jasdaq In 1963, the Japan Securities Dealers Association created an over-the-counter system for security trading. In 1991, the association launched the Jasdaq system, which converted its current operations into an electronic security trading market. In 2004, the corporation changed its name to the Jasdaq Securities Exchange, and was formally recognized as a securities exchange.
Security with a risk level and pricing based on the risk of credit default by one or more underlying security issuers. Credit default contracts include credit default swaps (CDSs), credit default index contracts, credit default options and credit default basket options. Credit default contracts are also used as part of the mechanism behind many collateralized debt obligations (CDOs); in these cases, the contracts may have unique covenants that exclude company events, such as a debt restructuring as a "credit event". |||The main goal of credit default contracts is to establish a price for a given default risk, where it can then be traded to another party who wishes to accept it. Growth of credit default contracts has exploded in recent years, as liquidity has grown along with institutional investor interest. They are a versatile tool for transferring risk away from a lender's balance sheet (such as in CDS) or for pure speculation by hedge funds and other investment vehicles. The biggest risk in credit default contracts is their extreme sensitivity to individual company and market fluctuations. If fear of default starts to creep into the credit default markets, spreads will rise across the board, making the cost of protection that much more expensive, and slowing down activity in the debt markets as a whole.
A general increase in stock prices during the month of January. This rally is generally attributed to an increase in buying, which follows the drop in price that typically happens in December when investors, seeking to create tax losses to offset capital gains, prompt a sell-off. Taobiz explains January Effect The January effect is said to affect small caps more than mid or large caps. This historical trend, however, has been less pronounced in recent years because the markets have adjusted for it. Another reason the January effect is now considered less important is that more people are using tax-sheltered retirement plans and therefore have no reason to sell at the end of the year for a tax loss.
The ratio of current credit-related losses to the current par value of a mortgage-backed security (MBS), or the ratio of total credit-related losses to the original par value of an MBS. Different MBSs and different sections within an MBS have different credit-risk profiles, and are therefore likely to have different credit loss ratios. |||Average investors do not need to significantly worry about an agency bond's credit loss ratio. Agency MBSs - for example, bonds issued by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and government MBSs issued by Ginnie Mae - do not have credit risk, or are perceived by the market to not have credit risk. This is because these agencies guarantee the payment of principal and interest to the bond holder in the event of default by the underlying borrower. However, from an internal point of view, the agency MBS issuers do need to consider their credit loss ratios, because doing so will allows them to analyze whether their holdings are overexposed in certain types of riskier properties.
A theory stating that the movement of the S&P 500 during the month of January sets the stock market's direction for the year (as measured by the S&P 500). The January Barometer states that if the S&P 500 was up at the end of January compared to the beginning of the month, proponents would expect the stock market to rise during the rest of the year. Taobiz explains January Barometer If an investor believes in the ability of the January barometer to predict the equity market's performance, he or she will only invest in the market in the years when the barometer predicts the market will rise, and stay out of the market when it forecasts a market pullback. While the January barometer has been seen to produce better than 50% accuracy rates during 20-year periods, it is difficult to produce excess returns by using it since the improved performance by staying out of the market during bad times can be more than offset by larger losses incurred when the barometer incorrectly predicts a bull market.
A security with an embedded credit default swap allowing the issuer to transfer a specific credit risk to credit investors. CLNs are created through a Special Purpose Company (SPC), or trust, which is collateralized with AAA-rated securities. Investors buy securities from a trust that pays a fixed or floating coupon during the life of the note. At maturity, the investors receive par unless the referenced credit defaults or declares bankruptcy, in which case they receive an amount equal to the recovery rate. The trust enters into a default swap with a deal arranger. In case of default, the trust pays the dealer par minus the recovery rate in exchange for an annual fee which is passed on to the investors in the form of a higher yield on the notes. |||Under this structure, the coupon or price of the note is linked to the performance of a reference asset. It offers borrowers a hedge against credit risk, and gives investors a higher yield on the note for accepting exposure to a specified credit event.