Archive for March, 2011

FTU.PR.A Annual Report 2010

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

U.S. Financial 15 Split Corp. has released its Annual Report to November 30, 2010.

FTU / FTU.PR.A Performance
Instrument One
Year
Three
Years
Five
Years
Whole Unit -5.90% -29.45% -18.67%
FTU.PR.A -5.90% -12.00% -4.89%
FTU N/A -100.00% -100.00%
S&P 500 Financial Index -3.23% -19.88% -14.64%

An unusual feature of this fund is that it missed quite a few dividends on its preferred shares during the crisis – since these dividends are cumulative, they have been recorded as a liability on the company’s books. Hence:

The Company has 3,081,476 Preferred shares outstanding as at November 30, 2010 with a principal repayment target of $10 per Preferred share for a total of $30,814,760 due on the termination date, December 1, 2012. As at November 30, 2010, the Company has Net Assets equivalent to $5.54 per Preferred share for a total of $17,080,883. This represents a deficiency as at November 30, 2010 of $4.46 per Preferred share for a total deficiency of $13,733,927. An amount of $0.5624 per Preferred share in accrued cumulative dividends representing dividends not paid in previous years as at November 30, 2010 is also available to holders of Preferred shares on the termination date.

Thus, when calculating Market and Asset Coverage for the preferred shares, one must add the cumulated dividends to the published NAV – being very careful to check whether the company has made up any of the arrears since their year-end! There was one such payement in April, 2010, but none since.

Additionally, one may expect that the dividend yield of the underlying portfolio will increase significantly in the near future, as the Fed reduced restrictions on banks on March 18.

Figures of interest are:

MER: 1.50% of the whole unit value.

Average Net Assets: We need this to calculate portfolio yield; unfortunately the number of units changesd, which makes it more approximate. Additionally, the presence of the cumulated dividends makes the calculation more difficult. The Total Assets of the fund at year end was $19.0-million, compared to $24.0-million a year prior, so call it an average of $21.5-million. Total Preferred Share Distribution was $1.46-million, at $0.40/unit (four skipped distributions and one make-up distribution) implies an average of 3.65-million units, at an average NAV of ((5.54+0.56) + (6.50 + 0.56 – 0.125)) / 2 = 6.52, so call it $23.8-million. This is good agreement (considering all the adjustments!), call the average NAV $22-million.

Underlying Portfolio Yield: Dividends and interest received of $120,277 net of withholding divided by average net assets of 22-million is 0.55%.

Income Coverage: Dividends of 120,277 less expenses 290,947 is (170,670), to cover preferred dividends 3,081,476 shares at $0.525 dividend entitlement is less than negative 10.5%.

PIC.PR.A Annual Report

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Premium Income Corporation has released its Annual Report to October 31, 2010.

PIC / PIC.PR.A Performance
Instrument One
Year
Three
Years
Five
Years
Ten
Years
Whole Unit +15.07% -0.53% +3.17% +5.56%
PIC.PR.A +5.88% +5.88% +5.90% +5.97%
PIC +48.45% -7.46% +0.30% +5.51%
S&P/TSX Diversified Banks Index +18.52% +3.65% +8.45% +11.27%

Figures of interest are:

MER: 1.10% of the whole unit value, excluding the special resolution expense (incurred when extending term). With this expense, MER for 2010 was 1.44% – for analytical purposes, I suggest it’s best to amortize this and call the MER 1.17%.

Average Net Assets: We need this to calculate portfolio yield; unfortunately the number of units changesd, which makes it more approximate. The Net Asset Value at year end was $292.34-million, compared to $279.70 a year prior, so call it an average of $286.02-million. Total Preferred Share Distribution was $12.31-million, at $0.86/unit implies an average of $14.31-million units, at an average NAV of (20.56 + 19.15) / 2 = 19.86, so call it $284-million. This is good agreement, call the average NAV $285-million.

Underlying Portfolio Yield: Dividends and interest received of $12.4-million divided by average net assets of 285-million is 4.35%.

Income Coverage: Dividends & Interest of $12.4-million less expenses before resolution costs of $3.5-million is $8.9-million, to cover preferred dividends of $12.3-million is 72%.

March 18, 2011

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Teachers’ supports the TMX / LSE deal:

Specifically, we support the proposed merger for the following reasons:

  • It is important to ensure that Teachers’ and other investors have access to an effective, low cost trading platform to execute both cash and derivative trades. The combined exchange operator should be able to achieve economies of scale, lowering the cost of capital and trading costs.

What? Judging a company by what it does for its customers rather that the quality of jobs it provides its employees and suppliers? Why, that’s … that’s un-Canadian! The More-Subsidies government should revoke their citizenship, immediately and retroactively!

The Fed has relaxed dividend restrictions on large US bank holding companies:

The Federal Reserve on Friday announced it has completed the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR), its cross-institution study of the capital plans of the 19 largest U.S. bank holding companies.

As a result of the CCAR, some firms are expected to increase or restart dividend payments, buy back shares, or repay government capital. The Federal Reserve on Friday will discuss the reviews and its decisions with firms that requested a capital action. All 19 firms will receive more detailed assessments of their capital planning processes next month.

In February 2009, the Federal Reserve advised bank holding companies that safety and soundness considerations required that dividends be substantially reduced or eliminated. Since that time, the Federal Reserve has indicated that increased capital distributions would generally not be considered prudent in the absence of a well-developed capital plan and a capital position that would remain strong even under adverse conditions.

There was immediate reaction:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) increased dividends and authorized share buybacks after the Federal Reserve reviewed the ability of the largest U.S. lenders to withstand another economic slump. Bank stocks rallied in New York trading.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) said it got permission to buy back $5 billion of preferred stock sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in 2008.

And some took advantage of the market’s reaction:

KeyCorp (KEY), Ohio’s second-biggest bank, raised $625 million selling shares as part of a plan to repay a U.S. bailout after a Federal Reserve review of the company’s capital strength.

KeyCorp, based in Cleveland, sold 70.6 million shares of common stock at $8.85 each, the bank said today in a statement.

The Federal Reserve told KeyCorp it didn’t object to a plan to sell stock and issue debt to help repurchase $2.5 billion of preferred shares sold to the U.S. Treasury in 2008 as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the company said in a statement. KeyCorp paid about $282 million in dividends to Treasury during the investment period.

KeyCorp advanced 7 cents to $8.92 as of 4 p.m. today in New York Stock Exchange composite trading before the announcement.

… and so did SunTrust:

SunTrust Banks Inc. (STI) raised $1.04 billion selling shares as part of a plan to repay $4.85 billion in U.S. bailout funds.

The lender, based in Atlanta, sold 35.3 million shares of common stock for $29.50 each, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The Federal Reserve, which reviewed the financial strength of the largest U.S. lenders, didn’t object to SunTrust’s capital plan to sell the stock and issue a further $1 billion of debt, the bank said today in a statement. Repayment to the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which will also draw on “other available funds,” is subject to approval by the U.S. Treasury Department, the bank said.

SunTrust advanced $1.34, or 4.7 percent, to $29.59 as of 4 p.m. today in New York Stock Exchange composite trading before the announcement.

Regulators world-wide are seeking to expand their empires:

Michael Oxley, the former congressman who co-wrote the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has registered as a lobbyist for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to promote self-regulation of investment advisers.

Oxley, a partner at Baker Hostetler LLP in Washington, registered this week as a Finra lobbyist, saying he would work on securities regulation and the “harmonization of regulation of broker-dealers and investment advisers,” according to his registration form. Finra oversees about 4,560 brokerage firms and is interested in expanding to investment advisers.

Salesmen should not have the same regulator as asset managers.

Today’s embarrassing news release is:

GMP Capital Inc. (“GMP”) (TSX: GMP and GMP.PR.B) announced that it has re-filed its audited financial statements and accompanying management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2010 to correct a calculation error relating to earnings per common share for 2009.

The correction relates to amounts recorded in connection with the redemption of GMP’s Series A preferred shares in December 2009. The amounts were charged to retained earnings, as required, but were not deducted in computing net income available to common shareholders. The earnings per common share (“EPS”) for 2009 has accordingly been revised from $0.64 per basic EPS and $0.59 per diluted EPS, as originally reported, to $0.52 per basic EPS and $0.48 per diluted EPS. The correction and re-filing has no effect on EPS for 2010 and does not otherwise affect GMP’s financial statements for the years ended 2010 and 2009.

On the whole, I would say that’s on a par with the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts repeated problems with their financial statements! It was just yesterday that Harris Fricker, CEO of GMP Capital, wrote an incomprehensible essay in the Globe trying to tell the TMX how to manage its business.

It was quite the day for BMO.PR.J!


Click for big

BMO.PR.J was the best performing index-included preferred share for the day, trading 89,346 shares in a range of 23.78-26.25 (!) [It’s been a while seen we’ve seen $2+ ranges!] before closing at 24.20-43, 10×18. Thanks to Assiduous Reader GA for bringing this to my attention.

Was it Algos Gone Wild? Fat Finger? One way or another, Desjardins bought 19,500 shares at an average price of 24.60 in 24 pieces from 11:40:36 to 11:40:37 – the first piece executed at 23.81, the last at 26.23. Then two odd-lots traded at 26.25 (presumably the offering price, but I haven’t bought that data), indicating a separate order. The next batch of Desjardins’ buying was another 20,200 shares at an average price of 25.75 in 9 pieces from 11:40:37 to 11:40:48, starting at 24.20 (an algo coming in with a new offer?) and ending at 26.25. This sequence included 16,400 shares at the high for the day of 26.25. Kudos to Goldman Sachs, who – I’m guessing, but it’s a pretty confident kind of guess – has an algorithm trolling the alleyways just looking for this sort of thing and were the seller of the last four lots at 26.25, totalling 9,500 shares.

Or maybe it wasn’t a Goldman algorithm, but an iceberg, placed well off the market price some time every morning? Either way, they made about $20-grand.

Oh, and when I say “Desjardins” and “Goldman”, it might not have been their prop desks acting as principal – this might all have been client orders.

The Canadian preferred share market was strong today, with PerpetualDiscounts up 9bp, FixedResets gaining 14bp and DeemedRetractibles winning 37bp. Volume was light.

HIMIPref™ Preferred Indices
These values reflect the December 2008 revision of the HIMIPref™ Indices

Values are provisional and are finalized monthly
Index Mean
Current
Yield
(at bid)
Median
YTW
Median
Average
Trading
Value
Median
Mod Dur
(YTW)
Issues Day’s Perf. Index Value
Ratchet 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.3250 % 2,372.2
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.3250 % 3,567.8
Floater 2.54 % 2.35 % 46,650 21.37 4 -0.3250 % 2,561.4
OpRet 4.91 % 3.51 % 54,639 0.36 9 0.0605 % 2,391.0
SplitShare 5.11 % 3.54 % 160,538 1.00 5 -0.1964 % 2,474.7
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0605 % 2,186.3
Perpetual-Premium 5.75 % 5.63 % 129,733 13.90 10 0.0656 % 2,032.4
Perpetual-Discount 5.52 % 5.55 % 121,975 14.40 14 0.0944 % 2,117.1
FixedReset 5.17 % 3.57 % 246,947 2.96 57 0.1367 % 2,275.2
Deemed-Retractible 5.24 % 5.27 % 350,128 8.28 53 0.3727 % 2,078.3
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
W.PR.H Perpetual-Discount -1.03 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 23.71
Evaluated at bid price : 24.01
Bid-YTW : 5.82 %
CM.PR.I Deemed-Retractible 1.00 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.15
Bid-YTW : 5.22 %
GWO.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 1.07 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.51
Bid-YTW : 5.45 %
RY.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 1.08 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.50
Bid-YTW : 5.30 %
BAM.PR.R FixedReset 1.10 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.65
Bid-YTW : 4.81 %
CM.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 1.10 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.81
Bid-YTW : 5.18 %
RY.PR.B Deemed-Retractible 1.17 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.14
Bid-YTW : 5.18 %
CIU.PR.C FixedReset 1.63 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 24.85
Evaluated at bid price : 24.90
Bid-YTW : 3.92 %
SLF.PR.F FixedReset 1.72 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.16
Bid-YTW : 3.25 %
BMO.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 2.28 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.20
Bid-YTW : 4.94 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
HSE.PR.A FixedReset 540,247 New issue settled today.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 24.80
Evaluated at bid price : 24.85
Bid-YTW : 4.37 %
BMO.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 89,346 Algos gone wild? See main post above for commentary. There were no blocks reported.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.20
Bid-YTW : 4.94 %
NA.PR.P FixedReset 83,515 Issuer bid.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-17
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 28.27
Bid-YTW : 2.33 %
NA.PR.N FixedReset 81,700 Issuer bid.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-09-14
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.98
Bid-YTW : 2.23 %
BMO.PR.Q FixedReset 75,020 Nesbitt bought 27,600 from Anonymous at 24.75.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.71
Bid-YTW : 3.97 %
PWF.PR.I Perpetual-Premium 40,800 Desjardins crossed 28,600 at 25.27.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2012-05-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.31
Bid-YTW : 5.63 %
There were 26 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
TRI.PR.B Floater Quote: 22.90 – 23.75
Spot Rate : 0.8500
Average : 0.5422

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 22.66
Evaluated at bid price : 22.90
Bid-YTW : 2.26 %

W.PR.H Perpetual-Discount Quote: 24.01 – 24.37
Spot Rate : 0.3600
Average : 0.2670

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 23.71
Evaluated at bid price : 24.01
Bid-YTW : 5.82 %

FTS.PR.H FixedReset Quote: 25.00 – 25.30
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.2097

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 24.95
Evaluated at bid price : 25.00
Bid-YTW : 4.08 %

BNS.PR.Z FixedReset Quote: 24.27 – 24.85
Spot Rate : 0.5800
Average : 0.5009

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.27
Bid-YTW : 4.20 %

BAM.PR.P FixedReset Quote: 27.07 – 27.37
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.2214

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-10-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.07
Bid-YTW : 4.45 %

NA.PR.L Deemed-Retractible Quote: 24.55 – 24.85
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.2230

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.55
Bid-YTW : 5.15 %

NEW.PR.C Added to HIMIPref™ Database

Friday, March 18th, 2011

I have added NEW.PR.C to the HIMIPref™ database, as the soon to expire warrant offering is in the money and can be expected to increase the number of shares – and hence the Average Trading Value – dramatically.

NEW.PR.C commenced trading 2009-6-26 after a prospectus dated 2009-6-16.

Issue price of 13.70, annual dividend of 0.822 paid quarterly, hence coupon of 6%.

Maturity date 2014-6-26; redeemable every June 26 at par.

Rated Pfd-2 by DBRS continuously since inception.

Monthly Retraction with a formula of 95%NAV – C – 1. Oddly, there is no maximum price! There is a Special Annual Concurrent Retraction (including a Capital Share) at NAV.

The dividend policy is:

The Class A Capital Shares provide their holders with a leveraged investment, the value of which is linked to changes in the market price of the Portfolio Shares. Holders of Class A Capital Shares will be entitled on redemption to the benefit of any capital appreciation in the market price of the Portfolio Shares. The fixed distributions on the Series 2 Preferred Shares will be funded from the dividends received on the Portfolio Shares. If necessary, any shortfall in the dividends on the Series 2 Preferred Shares will be funded by proceeds from the sale of Portfolio Shares. In the event that the Portfolio Share dividends exceed the amount of the fixed Series 2 Preferred Share dividends and all expenses of the Company, the excess amount may be paid as dividends on the Class A Capital Shares, as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, subject to the dividend policy of the Board of Directors.

NEW.PR.C has been assigned initially to the Scraps index, but may migrate shortly to the SplitShares index.

There will be those, I know, who will be pleased to point out that this back-dated addition of an issue adds a little selection bias to the HIMIPref™ database, to which I am forced to respond: “Your mother wears army boots!”. I NEED DATA, and with the recent disappearance of SXT.PR.A and the imminent disappearance of MUH.PR.A, I need it badly. I hope that following the warrant expiry, NEW.PR.C will be liquid enough to trade, at least in small pieces.

HSE.PR.A Closes Slightly Under Par on Heavy Volume

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Husky Energy has announced:

that it has completed its recently announced public offering of 10,000,000 Cumulative Rate Reset First Preferred Shares, Series 1 (the “Series 1 Shares”). The underwriting group led by CIBC, RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets (collectively the “Underwriters”) exercised their 2,000,000 Series 1 Shares over-allotment option in full, and accordingly, a total of 12,000,000 Series 1 Shares have been issued at a price of $25.00 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $300 million.

The net proceeds from this offering will be used for repayment of existing indebtedness, capital expenditures, corporate and asset acquisitions and for general corporate purposes.

The Series 1 Shares were offered by way of prospectus supplement under the short form base shelf prospectus of Husky Energy dated November 26, 2010.

Holders of the Series 1 Shares are entitled to receive a cumulative quarterly fixed dividend yielding 4.45% annually for the initial period ending March 31, 2016. Thereafter, the dividend rate will be reset every five years at a rate equal to the 5-year Government of Canada bond yield plus 1.73%. Holders of Series 1 Shares will have the right, at their option, to convert their shares into Cumulative Rate Reset First Preferred Shares, Series 2 (the “Series 2 Shares”), subject to certain conditions, on March 31, 2016 and on March 31 every five years thereafter. Holders of the Series 2 Shares will be entitled to receive cumulative quarterly floating dividends at a rate equal to the three-month Government of Canada Treasury Bill yield plus 1.73%.

The Series 1 Shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HSE.PR. [sic]

HSE.PR.A is a FixedReset, 4.45%+173, announced March 10. The issue traded 540,247 shares today in a range of 24.70-95.

Vital statistics are:

HSE.PR.A FixedReset YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-18
Maturity Price : 24.80
Evaluated at bid price : 24.85
Bid-YTW : 4.37 %

HSE.PR.A is tracked by HIMIPref™ and assigned to the FixedReset subindex.

March 17, 2011

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The Irish government is upset about its zombie banks:

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said it’s “grossly unfair” that taxpayers alone should carry the cost of bailing out the country’s banks as he pushed for lower rates on a European-led rescue loan.

Kenny, on a visit to Washington where he says he’s trying to repair Ireland’s “damaged” reputation, called for changes to the rescue package by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to avoid a situation where Ireland struggles to pay back its loan and can’t generate economic growth.

“It is grossly unfair to expect the taxpayer to have to pay 100 percent for the reckless lending practices of banks which caused this in the first instance,” Kenny said yesterday in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s “InBusiness With Margaret Brennan” that will be broadcast today. The 5.8 percent average rate Ireland pays for its loans is “too severe,” he said.

Kenny stopped short of saying who should pay along with taxpayers. Asked about the treatment of senior bondholders, Kenny said that his government will put no additional cash into banks “until you see the scale of what the liability is, until there is an understanding of what might be here.”

There was cheering in B-Comm classes across Canada today as Harris Fricker, CEO of GMP Capital, demonstrated that you can achieve enormous success on Bay Street without the ability to construct a coherent argument. There’s really not much worth quoting, but here’s the conclusion:

We cannot help but feel that a major opportunity has been lost to preserve a distinctly Canadian success story. Will the acquisition by the LSEG imperil our markets or impede the formation of capital in Canada? Not at all likely. Is the loss of the standalone status of the TMX regrettable in the face of its success to date and its potential going forward? Undeniably.

There is no support for either concluding assertion in the preceeding mish-mash of unrelated statements.

Mr. Fricker’s effort demonstrates:

  • that whatever the TMX debate is about, it has nothing to do with what’s being said in public
  • the intellectual bankruptcy of public disourse in Canada.

We’re getting involved in another foreign war:

The United Nations Security Council voted today to ground Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s air force and to grant military authority to the U.S. and its allies to protect civilians and population centers threatened by Qaddafi’s forces.

It seems quite clear to me that the Qaddafi regime is awful, both domestically and internationally, but I’m not sure why we think the alternatives are better. Nobody’s bothered to explain it to me. I’m with Haass:

“Why is anyone so sure that the people we’d be helping, that they would necessarily be dramatically better than Gadhafi?” said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

So we’ll happily support the Libyan rebels, giving them carte blanche to fight Quaddafi – just like we gave bin Laden carte blanche to fight the Soviets.

It was a mixed day on the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualDiscounts down 13bp, FixedResets gaining 2bp and DeemedRetractibles up 16bp. Volume was on the light side.

HIMIPref™ Preferred Indices
These values reflect the December 2008 revision of the HIMIPref™ Indices

Values are provisional and are finalized monthly
Index Mean
Current
Yield
(at bid)
Median
YTW
Median
Average
Trading
Value
Median
Mod Dur
(YTW)
Issues Day’s Perf. Index Value
Ratchet 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.0602 % 2,380.0
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.0602 % 3,579.4
Floater 2.53 % 2.35 % 46,660 21.38 4 -0.0602 % 2,569.7
OpRet 4.91 % 3.68 % 53,705 1.16 9 -0.2717 % 2,389.5
SplitShare 5.10 % 3.53 % 167,180 1.01 5 -0.2040 % 2,479.6
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.2717 % 2,185.0
Perpetual-Premium 5.75 % 5.56 % 130,689 13.90 10 0.0239 % 2,031.0
Perpetual-Discount 5.53 % 5.54 % 121,102 14.38 14 -0.1338 % 2,115.1
FixedReset 5.19 % 3.64 % 235,311 2.96 56 0.0190 % 2,272.1
Deemed-Retractible 5.26 % 5.33 % 355,446 8.28 53 0.1564 % 2,070.5
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
CIU.PR.C FixedReset -2.04 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-17
Maturity Price : 24.45
Evaluated at bid price : 24.50
Bid-YTW : 3.99 %
BAM.PR.J OpRet -1.97 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Soft Maturity
Maturity Date : 2018-03-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.85
Bid-YTW : 4.82 %
W.PR.H Perpetual-Discount 1.08 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-17
Maturity Price : 23.95
Evaluated at bid price : 24.26
Bid-YTW : 5.76 %
HSB.PR.C Deemed-Retractible 1.12 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.31
Bid-YTW : 5.45 %
FTS.PR.G FixedReset 1.13 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-10-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.85
Bid-YTW : 3.89 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
MFC.PR.F FixedReset 256,800 Recent new issue.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.66
Bid-YTW : 4.27 %
NA.PR.N FixedReset 109,435 Issuer bid.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-09-14
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.96
Bid-YTW : 2.26 %
CM.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 103,855 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 25.25.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-05-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.34
Bid-YTW : 5.21 %
TD.PR.O Deemed-Retractible 92,979 RBC crossed 25,000 at 24.70; Desjardins crossed 50,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.64
Bid-YTW : 5.13 %
TRP.PR.C FixedReset 82,900 Nesbitt crossed 50,000 at 25.25. TD crossed 15,000 at 25.31.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-17
Maturity Price : 25.25
Evaluated at bid price : 25.30
Bid-YTW : 4.17 %
NA.PR.O FixedReset 81,715 Issuer bid.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-17
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 28.27
Bid-YTW : 2.32 %
There were 28 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
CM.PR.K FixedReset Quote: 26.34 – 26.90
Spot Rate : 0.5600
Average : 0.3707

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-08-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.34
Bid-YTW : 3.92 %

CIU.PR.C FixedReset Quote: 24.50 – 25.05
Spot Rate : 0.5500
Average : 0.3752

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-17
Maturity Price : 24.45
Evaluated at bid price : 24.50
Bid-YTW : 3.99 %

BNS.PR.Z FixedReset Quote: 24.27 – 24.85
Spot Rate : 0.5800
Average : 0.4142

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.27
Bid-YTW : 4.20 %

TRP.PR.A FixedReset Quote: 25.43 – 25.78
Spot Rate : 0.3500
Average : 0.2577

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2015-01-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.43
Bid-YTW : 4.07 %

SLF.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 25.05 – 25.30
Spot Rate : 0.2500
Average : 0.1683

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.05
Bid-YTW : 4.10 %

SLF.PR.D Deemed-Retractible Quote: 21.26 – 21.50
Spot Rate : 0.2400
Average : 0.1653

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.26
Bid-YTW : 6.39 %

FFN.PR.A Annual Report

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Financial 15 Split Corp. II has released its Annual Report to November 30, 2010.

FFN / FFN.PR.A Performance
Instrument One
Year
Three
Years
Five
Years
Whole Unit +2.11% -8.54% -3.81%
FTN.PR.A +5.38% +5.38% +5.38%
FTN -4.67% -23.57% -14.04%
S&P/TSX 60 Financial Index +8.59% -1.84% +3.64%
S&P 500 Financial Index -3.23% -19.88% -14.64%
2/3 Can + 1/3 US
Calculations by JH

+4.65% -7.85% -2.45%

Figures of interest are:

MER: 1.03% of the whole unit value

Average Net Assets: We need this to calculate portfolio yield. No change in Number of Units Outstanding, so just calculate as 5,688,250 [Units] * average NAVPU of (15.30 + 14.60) / 2 = 14.95 so $85-million.

Underlying Portfolio Yield: Dividends received (net of withholding) of 2,489,225 divided by average net assets of 85-million is 2.93%.

Income Coverage: Net Investment Income of 1,625,891 divided by Preferred Share Distributions of 2,986,331 is 54%.

FTN.PR.A Annual Report 2010

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Financial 15 Split Inc. has released its Annual Report to November 30, 2010.

FTN / FTN.PR.A Performance
Instrument One
Year
Three
Years
Five
Years
Whole Unit +3.49% -5.92% -1.86%
FTN.PR.A +5.38% +5.38% +5.38%
FTN +0.79% -15.25% -8.02%
S&P/TSX 60 Financial Index +8.59% -1.84% +3.64%
S&P 500 Financial Index -3.23% -19.88% -14.64%
2/3 Can + 1/3 US
Calculations by JH

+4.65% -7.85% -2.45%

Figures of interest are:

MER: 1.16% of thw whole unit value, excluding one time initial offering expenses. These were taken as a direct hit to Shareholders’ Equity and bypassed the Income Statement.

Average Net Assets: We need this to calculate portfolio yield. MER of 1.16% Total Expenses of 1,648,741 implies $142-million net assets. Preferred Share distributions of 4,511,294 @ 0.525 / share implies 8.6-million shares out on average. Average Unit Value (beginning & end of year) = (15.95 + 17.39) / 2 = 16.67. Therefore 8.6-million @ 16.67 = 143.4-million average net assets. Good agreement between these two methods! Call it 143-million average.

Underlying Portfolio Yield: Dividends received (net of withholding) of 3,940,069 divided by average net assets of 143-million is 2.76%

Income Coverage: Net Investment Income of 2,291,328 divided by Preferred Share Distributions of 4,511,294 is 51%.

March 16, 2011

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

There are rising doubts about UK growth:

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development cut its forecast for U.K. economic growth in 2011 and said the Bank of England should refrain from increasing interest rates until the second half of the year.

Gross domestic product will expand 1.5 percent instead of the 1.7 percent predicted in November, the Paris-based group said in its economic survey of the U.K. published today. It maintained its 2 percent growth forecast for next year.

“The recovery is likely to remain subdued in 2011, as the necessary fiscal tightening and a fading rebound in world trade create headwinds, before picking up again in 2012,” it said.

… and Moody’s downgraded Portugal:

The euro halted three days of gains versus the dollar after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Portugal’s credit rating, reviving concern about Europe’s ability to solve its debt crisis.

The 17-nation common currency depreciated versus all but two its major counterparts after Portugal was cut two steps by Moody’s yesterday to A3, four steps from so-called junk status.

It was a good day overall for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualDiscounts up 30bp, FixedResets losing 4bp and DeemedRetractibles up 6bp. Volume was average.

HIMIPref™ Preferred Indices
These values reflect the December 2008 revision of the HIMIPref™ Indices

Values are provisional and are finalized monthly
Index Mean
Current
Yield
(at bid)
Median
YTW
Median
Average
Trading
Value
Median
Mod Dur
(YTW)
Issues Day’s Perf. Index Value
Ratchet 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.4957 % 2,381.4
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.4957 % 3,581.6
Floater 2.53 % 2.35 % 47,061 21.38 4 0.4957 % 2,571.3
OpRet 4.89 % 3.57 % 54,435 1.16 9 0.0820 % 2,396.0
SplitShare 5.09 % 3.52 % 172,659 1.01 5 -0.1259 % 2,484.7
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0820 % 2,191.0
Perpetual-Premium 5.75 % 5.64 % 132,023 13.91 10 0.0617 % 2,030.5
Perpetual-Discount 5.52 % 5.54 % 121,854 14.40 14 0.3019 % 2,117.9
FixedReset 5.20 % 3.64 % 236,569 2.96 56 -0.0359 % 2,271.7
Deemed-Retractible 5.26 % 5.38 % 359,084 8.28 53 0.0637 % 2,067.3
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
GWO.PR.M Deemed-Retractible -1.18 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2019-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.20
Bid-YTW : 5.68 %
ELF.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 1.03 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 20.50
Bid-YTW : 7.32 %
PWF.PR.A Floater 1.09 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-16
Maturity Price : 22.01
Evaluated at bid price : 22.25
Bid-YTW : 2.35 %
BAM.PR.T FixedReset 1.11 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-16
Maturity Price : 23.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.69
Bid-YTW : 4.71 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
TD.PR.O Deemed-Retractible 158,410 RBC crossed 50,000 at 24.70; Desjardins crossed 100,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.66
Bid-YTW : 5.12 %
BNS.PR.M Deemed-Retractible 125,375 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 23.40.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.42
Bid-YTW : 5.38 %
TRP.PR.C FixedReset 112,025 Anonymous sold 19,500 to Nesbitt and three blocks of 10,000 each to RBC, all at 25.25. RBC crossed 25,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-16
Maturity Price : 25.15
Evaluated at bid price : 25.20
Bid-YTW : 4.18 %
RY.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 111,520 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 23.20.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.18
Bid-YTW : 5.46 %
BNS.PR.X FixedReset 103,200 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 27.30.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-05-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.31
Bid-YTW : 3.52 %
SLF.PR.F FixedReset 102,730 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 26.75.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.71
Bid-YTW : 3.79 %
There were 31 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
PWF.PR.L Perpetual-Discount Quote: 23.75 – 24.29
Spot Rate : 0.5400
Average : 0.3537

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-16
Maturity Price : 23.52
Evaluated at bid price : 23.75
Bid-YTW : 5.44 %

FTS.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 25.56 – 25.90
Spot Rate : 0.3400
Average : 0.2341

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-10-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.56
Bid-YTW : 4.37 %

RY.PR.C Deemed-Retractible Quote: 23.38 – 23.75
Spot Rate : 0.3700
Average : 0.2649

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.38
Bid-YTW : 5.46 %

GWO.PR.J FixedReset Quote: 26.76 – 27.10
Spot Rate : 0.3400
Average : 0.2477

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-01-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.76
Bid-YTW : 3.30 %

W.PR.H Perpetual-Discount Quote: 24.00 – 24.27
Spot Rate : 0.2700
Average : 0.1927

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-03-16
Maturity Price : 23.70
Evaluated at bid price : 24.00
Bid-YTW : 5.82 %

GWO.PR.N FixedReset Quote: 24.40 – 24.69
Spot Rate : 0.2900
Average : 0.2148

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.40
Bid-YTW : 4.03 %

NBF.PR.A Upgraded to Pfd-3(high) by DBRS

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

DBRS has announced that it:

has today upgraded the rating of the Preferred Shares issued by NB Split Corp. (the Company) to Pfd-3 (high) from Pfd-3. In February 2007, the Company raised approximately $100 million by issuing Preferred Shares (1,436,369 shares at $32.72 each) and Capital Shares (2,872,738 shares at $18.45 each). The final redemption date for both the Preferred Shares and the Capital Shares is February 15, 2012 (the Termination Date).

The net proceeds from the offering were used to purchase a portfolio of common shares (the Portfolio) of the National Bank of Canada (NB). Dividends received on the Portfolio are used to pay a fixed cumulative quarterly dividend of $0.3886 per Preferred Share to yield 4.75% per annum. Based on the current dividend yield on the NB common shares, the Preferred Share dividend coverage is approximately 1.2 times. As a result, the Preferred Share dividends are currently funded entirely from dividends received on the Portfolio.

The rating of the Preferred Shares was last confirmed on August 10, 2010. Since then, the net asset value of the Company has increased by approximately 25%. The current downside protection (as of March 14, 2011) is approximately 57%. The upgrade of the rating of the Preferred Shares is primarily based on the increase in downside protection since August 2010.

The main constraints to the rating are the following:

(1) The downside protection provided to holders of the Preferred Shares is dependent on the value of the shares in the Portfolio.

(2) The Portfolio is entirely concentrated in the common shares of NB.

(3) Volatility of price and changes in the dividend policies of NB may result in significant reductions in downside protection from time to time.

There were just over 800,000 NBF.PR.A outstanding on 2010-6-30 according to the interim financial statements, with a book value of about $26.5-million.

NBF.PR.A was last mentioned on PrefBlog in December 2010, when there was a partial call for redemption. NBF.PR.A is not tracked by HIMIPref™.