Archive for April, 2013

PrefLetter Payment Processing … Possibly Perfect! Problems Past!

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

I am pleased to announce that the problems with the PrefLetter payment process, which occurred quite suddenly last week with no notice of change from the processor, have now been fixed.

It was all silly stuff but, of course, there is no proper manual.

eMail verification has been turned back on and new subscribers are welcome!

April 24, 2013

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

The Globe was enthralled with the new Air Canada equipment financing:

Air Canada said on Wednesday it plans to acquire five new Boeing 777-300ER series aircraft with funds raised through offering two tranches of enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs) worth a total of
$606.3 million.

The EETC market has been one of the main sources of funding that U.S. carriers have used to fund aircraft purchases in the
last two decades.

This market has been off limits to airlines in Canada until late last year, when the Canadian government signed an accord that now allows domestic airlines to seek funding from this market, which offers lower interest rates than other forms of
aircraft financing.

My interest was further piqued by S&P’s rating announcement – which noted that the rating was “(sf)” – structured finance:

The pass-through certificates will be issued by pass-through trusts that will hold equipment notes issued by Loxley Aviation Ltd. Loxley Aviation is a newly formed company whose assets will consist of the aircraft to be financed, in part, with the proceeds of this offering and contract rights under its conditional sale agreements for the aircraft with Air Canada. We will assign final ratings after concluding a legal review of the documentation.

We base the preliminary ‘B'(sf) rating on the credit quality of Air Canada (B-/Stable/–); substantial collateral coverage by good-quality aircraft; and the legal and structural protections available to the pass-through certificates. The company will use proceeds of this offering and those of the 2013-1 class A and class B series to finance 2013 and 2014 deliveries of five Boeing B777-300ER aircraft to be acquired by Loxley Aviation and conditionally sold to Air Canada. Each aircraft’s equipment notes are cross-collateralized and cross-defaulted under the indentures, and cross-collateralized and cross-defaulted to the conditional sale agreements, which we believe increases the likelihood that Air Canada would cure any defaults and agree to perform its future obligations, including its payment obligations, under the conditional sale agreements in an insolvency-related event of the airline.

So, I wonder, what’s the deal with these things? How are they different from a normal mortgage bond, which is to say, debt secured by a physical asset?

Nothing on SEDAR.

A little digging and I learn that it’s a private placement:

The certificates are being offered and sold only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and to certain non-U.S. persons in transactions outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The certificates have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and state securities laws. The certificates have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any offer and sale of the certificates in Canada will be made on a basis that is exempt from the prospectus requirement of such securities laws.

Let us all thank the bureaucracy for protecting us from the debt markets!

It was another modestly good day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualPremiums up 8bp, FixedResets winning 9bp and DeemedRetractibles gaining 2bp. Volatility was average. Volume continued high.

PerpetualDiscounts now yield 4.84%, equivalent to 6.29% interest at the standard conversion factor of 1.3x. Long corporates now yield a little under 4.1%, so the pre-tax interest-equivalent spread (in this context, the “Seniority Spread”) is now about 220bp, unchanged from April 17.

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 0.9527 % 2,598.4
FixedFloater 3.96 % 3.18 % 33,582 18.76 1 0.0000 % 4,150.7
Floater 2.68 % 2.87 % 82,194 20.05 4 0.9527 % 2,805.5
OpRet 4.80 % 1.26 % 60,836 0.15 5 0.0387 % 2,609.8
SplitShare 4.80 % 4.18 % 121,884 4.11 5 0.1180 % 2,960.0
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0387 % 2,386.4
Perpetual-Premium 5.18 % 3.09 % 88,301 0.84 32 0.0842 % 2,380.6
Perpetual-Discount 4.84 % 4.84 % 175,131 15.71 4 -0.0709 % 2,690.0
FixedReset 4.93 % 2.73 % 249,090 3.77 80 0.0918 % 2,507.4
Deemed-Retractible 4.88 % 3.57 % 135,209 1.37 44 0.0230 % 2,453.2
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
SLF.PR.G FixedReset 1.12 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.28
Bid-YTW : 2.81 %
BAM.PR.K Floater 1.51 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-24
Maturity Price : 18.12
Evaluated at bid price : 18.12
Bid-YTW : 2.91 %
BAM.PR.B Floater 1.72 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-24
Maturity Price : 18.38
Evaluated at bid price : 18.38
Bid-YTW : 2.87 %
CU.PR.C FixedReset 1.72 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.55
Bid-YTW : 2.56 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
MFC.PR.D FixedReset 199,264 Desjardins crossed 185,400 at 26.43. Nice ticket!
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-06-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.29
Bid-YTW : 2.63 %
POW.PR.B Perpetual-Premium 86,747 Scotia crossed 76,000 at 25.63.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-24
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.48
Bid-YTW : -15.58 %
IFC.PR.C FixedReset 74,350 National crossed 50,000 at 26.07; Scotia crossed 15,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-09-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.06
Bid-YTW : 2.99 %
BNS.PR.P FixedReset 73,509 TD crossed 32,600 at 25.60.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.56
Bid-YTW : -20.90 %
RY.PR.W Perpetual-Premium 65,117 RBC crossed 23,400 at 25.35.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-24
Maturity Price : 25.25
Evaluated at bid price : 25.36
Bid-YTW : -5.22 %
ENB.PR.H FixedReset 36,198 National crossed 25,100 at 25.75.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-24
Maturity Price : 23.36
Evaluated at bid price : 25.71
Bid-YTW : 3.19 %
There were 46 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
TCA.PR.X Perpetual-Premium Quote: 50.55 – 51.24
Spot Rate : 0.6900
Average : 0.4366

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-10-15
Maturity Price : 50.00
Evaluated at bid price : 50.55
Bid-YTW : 3.09 %

HSE.PR.A FixedReset Quote: 25.75 – 26.33
Spot Rate : 0.5800
Average : 0.3419

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-24
Maturity Price : 23.63
Evaluated at bid price : 25.75
Bid-YTW : 2.81 %

VNR.PR.A FixedReset Quote: 26.62 – 26.95
Spot Rate : 0.3300
Average : 0.2106

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-10-15
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.62
Bid-YTW : 2.84 %

MFC.PR.F FixedReset Quote: 25.10 – 25.40
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.1919

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.10
Bid-YTW : 3.02 %

SLF.PR.F FixedReset Quote: 26.10 – 26.38
Spot Rate : 0.2800
Average : 0.1868

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-06-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.10
Bid-YTW : 2.58 %

PWF.PR.L Perpetual-Premium Quote: 25.50 – 25.74
Spot Rate : 0.2400
Average : 0.1765

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2015-10-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.50
Bid-YTW : 4.25 %

April 23, 2013

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Well, that was interesting:

The S&P 500 was up about 1 percent at about 1,578 at 1:07 p.m. New York time today when a posting on the Associated Press Twitter account said there had been explosions at the White House and President Barack Obama had been injured. The benchmark gauge for American stocks erased almost the entire gain, falling as low as 1,563.03 by 1:10 p.m. The index recovered from the plunge within three minutes as the news service said its Twitter account had been hacked and there were no explosions. The S&P 500 ended the session up 1 percent at 1,578.78.

Who says Asian financial markets are backward? When yields are horribly low, the vendors raise commissions:

Borrowers in Asia have stepped up the use of rebates to get wealthy individual investors to buy their dollar-denominated bonds, underscoring weakness in the market as returns dwindle to an 18-month low.

At least 24 percent of the deals in the region last quarter provided a monetary incentive for private banks whose clients bought the offerings, more than double the same period of 2011, according to FIL Ltd., a global fund manager known as Fidelity Worldwide Investment that oversees $248.2 billion. While the practice is legal, it’s only common in Asia, lawyers say.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) sold 53 percent of its $800 million offering to private banks, according to a company statement on Jan. 29. The Mumbai-based issuer offered a 50 cent discount to private banks per $100 of bonds purchased, said a person with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified without authorization to speak publicly.

Singapore-based CapitaLand Ltd. (CAPL) sold $400 million of 10- year bonds in September in part by offering a 25-cent rebate to private banks for every $100 of bonds they bought, said Arthur Lang, the group chief financial officer at Southeast Asia’s biggest property developer.

Maybe Canadian bond salesmen can learn from Asia:

“Since the beginning of the year, most institutional clients have been net buyers of credit,” said credit trader Julian Pope at Desjardins Securities. “What we’ve noticed in the past 10 to 12 trading sessions has been a reversal of that trend.” In a recent report, he referred to the trend as the possibility of an emerging “buyers strike.”

No doubt, deals are still selling. However, the word on Bay Street is that there are a lot more “full fills” for many new issues, which means institutional buyers are often getting the full amounts that they request. For a hot deal, they may only get a fraction of what they request because the order book is oversubscribed.

You can also see a cool down of sorts in the spreads for investment grade Canadian issuers over their government benchmarks, because these spreads are starting to widen. For now it amounts to just a few basis points on average, but even that has caught some people offside because the spreads only moved tighter for so long.

Because the trend is so nascent, the voracious appetites for new debt could very well roar back. But the current pause is at least forcing people to bonder if fixed-income supply truly has the legs to stay hot for another full year.

Toronto take note! Casinos in Macau are generating ancillary investment:

Casino companies in Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, will gain from expanding family entertainment as the city seeks to become China’s top leisure spot, said Templeton Emerging Markets Group’s Mark Mobius.

The Macau gaming industry is growing at a “fast rate,” said Mobius, the group’s executive chairman, after a visit to the Chinese city. Templeton will continue to hold and buy Macau gambling stocks, he said in an e-mail response to questions, declining to give specific recommendations.

So much for civil rights …:

A vote on Harper government legislation that would curb civil rights in the fight against terrorism is being delayed until Wednesday.

The bill would also allow authorities to imprison a Canadian for up to 12 months if the person refuses to testify in front of a judge at an investigative hearing.

The legislation would also make it a federal crime to leave or try to leave Canada for the purpose of committing terrorism or attending a terrorist training camp.

Replace “terrorism” with “the Opposition” in the first sentence and the story would be more accurate.

It was a modestly good day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualPremiums gaining 3bp, FixedResets winning 8bp and DeemedRetractibles up 6bp. Volatility was average. Volume continued to be at high levels.

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 -0.7158 % 2,573.8
FixedFloater 3.96 % 3.18 % 32,912 18.76 1 0.4184 % 4,150.7
Floater 2.70 % 2.92 % 83,267 19.93 4 -0.7158 % 2,779.1
OpRet 4.80 % 1.90 % 61,013 0.16 5 0.0774 % 2,608.8
SplitShare 4.81 % 4.28 % 123,182 4.11 5 -0.2046 % 2,956.5
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0774 % 2,385.5
Perpetual-Premium 5.19 % 3.43 % 86,950 0.51 32 0.0329 % 2,378.6
Perpetual-Discount 4.83 % 4.83 % 174,782 15.73 4 0.0709 % 2,691.9
FixedReset 4.93 % 2.73 % 249,617 3.76 80 0.0821 % 2,505.1
Deemed-Retractible 4.88 % 3.49 % 135,115 1.38 44 0.0604 % 2,452.6
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
CU.PR.C FixedReset -1.58 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.10
Bid-YTW : 3.02 %
BAM.PR.B Floater -1.53 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-23
Maturity Price : 18.07
Evaluated at bid price : 18.07
Bid-YTW : 2.92 %
RY.PR.I FixedReset 1.11 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-02-24
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.43
Bid-YTW : 2.40 %
BNS.PR.Y FixedReset 1.25 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.32
Bid-YTW : 2.86 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
PWF.PR.S Perpetual-Premium 135,072 RBC crossed blocks of 35,000 and 33,100, both at 25.55. Scotia crossed 30,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.48
Bid-YTW : 4.55 %
TRP.PR.D FixedReset 89,219 TD crossed 23,800 at 26.00; Nesbitt crossed 30,000 at 26.01.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-23
Maturity Price : 23.39
Evaluated at bid price : 25.96
Bid-YTW : 3.35 %
BNS.PR.Q FixedReset 84,800 TD crossed 40,000 at 25.05; RBC crossed 30,600 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.04
Bid-YTW : 2.87 %
TRP.PR.C FixedReset 72,874 National crossed 20.700 at 25.50; RBC crossed 27,800 at 25.55.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-23
Maturity Price : 23.58
Evaluated at bid price : 25.50
Bid-YTW : 2.66 %
BNS.PR.T FixedReset 57,188 RBC crossed 50,000 at 25.91.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-04-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.90
Bid-YTW : 2.48 %
VNR.PR.A FixedReset 51,057 Scotia crossed blocks of 13,400 and 30,000, both at 26.60.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-10-15
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.70
Bid-YTW : 2.76 %
There were 49 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
CU.PR.C FixedReset Quote: 26.10 – 26.75
Spot Rate : 0.6500
Average : 0.4310

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.10
Bid-YTW : 3.02 %

ELF.PR.H Perpetual-Premium Quote: 26.16 – 26.59
Spot Rate : 0.4300
Average : 0.2847

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-04-17
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.16
Bid-YTW : 4.84 %

TCA.PR.Y Perpetual-Premium Quote: 50.85 – 51.29
Spot Rate : 0.4400
Average : 0.3453

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-05
Maturity Price : 50.00
Evaluated at bid price : 50.85
Bid-YTW : 3.43 %

NA.PR.O FixedReset Quote: 25.80 – 26.10
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.2114

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-02-15
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.80
Bid-YTW : 2.12 %

NA.PR.N FixedReset Quote: 25.20 – 25.40
Spot Rate : 0.2000
Average : 0.1135

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-08-15
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.20
Bid-YTW : 1.76 %

GWO.PR.Q Deemed-Retractible Quote: 26.02 – 26.30
Spot Rate : 0.2800
Average : 0.1958

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-09-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.02
Bid-YTW : 4.64 %

DBRS Confirms BRF at Pfd-3(high), Trend Stable

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

On 2013-12-31, DBRS placed BRF on Review-Developing:

DBRS has today placed Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners LP’s (BREP or the Company) Issuer Rating and related ratings Under Review with Developing Implications. This rating action follows the announcement of the Company’s acquisition of White Pine Hydro Investments, LLC (White Pine or the Portfolio) from a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (the Acquisition). The total enterprise value of the Acquisition is approximately $760 million (including $700 million of non-recourse debt) and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013, subject to various regulatory approvals. The rating action largely reflects some uncertainties associated with a timely and prudent financing strategy.

The Company intends to initially finance the total acquisition price with cash on hand ($252 million as at September 30, 2012) and credit facilities ($854 million available as at September 30, 2012). DBRS expects the Company to refinance the holding company-level credit facility with a prudent mix of non-recourse project level debt, equity from BREP and contributions from institutional partners in the first half of 2013. The Company has a deconsolidated debt-to-capital ratio of 19% as of June 30, 2012. Should BREP’s expected financing strategy deviate from the aforementioned timeframe and deconsolidated leverage increase to above 20%, there could be negative credit implications.

Today, the review was resolved and the company confirmed with a stable trend:

DBRS has today removed Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners LP’s (BREP or the Company) ratings from Under Review with Developing Implications. DBRS has also confirmed the Issuer Rating and Senior Unsecured Debentures and Notes at BBB (high) and the Class A Preference Shares at Pfd-3 (high), all with Stable trends. With the establishment of non-recourse bridge financing for the acquisition of White Pine Hydro Investments, LLC (the Acquisition; White Pine), the planned issuance of preferred shares on a bought deal basis and expected equity injection from institutional partners, DBRS is comfortable with the Company’s funding strategy, which includes appropriate measures to maintain a reasonable financial profile while executing its growth strategy.

Following the completion of the Acquisition, the Company has committed to tendering the $700 million of existing debt at White Pine with $350 million of non-recourse bridge financing and $350 million of drawings from BREP’s credit facility and available cash. Concurrently, the Company plans to issue an additional $125 million (up to $175 million) of preferred equity to repay drawings on BREP’s credit facility. The Company also expects to receive equity funding from its institutional partners such that there will be no material incremental drawings on BREP’s credit facility relating to the tendering of the existing debt at White Pine.

Based on BREP’s financing plan, DBRS conducted a pro forma analysis with a financing plan of $350 million non-recourse bridge financing, equity from institutional partners and $125 million of preferred equity issuance.

Based on DBRS’s pro forma calculations, the Company’s credit metrics would be in line with its current rating category with (1) deconsolidated debt-to-capital ratio at approximately 20%, (2) deconsolidated cash flow-to-deconsolidated debt ratio at approximately 18% and (3) deconsolidated cash flow-to-deconsolidated interest coverage at approximately 4.9 times.

BRF is the proud issuer of BRF.PR.A, BRF.PR.C and BRF.PR.E; another issue was announced earlier today. Due to the corporate structure, BAM, BPO, BPP, BNA, BRN and BRF should be considered as the same name for issuer concentration calculation purposes.

New Issue: BRF Straight Perpetual, 5.00%

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners has announced:

that it has agreed to issue 5,000,000 5% perpetual Class A Preferred Shares, Series 6 (“Preferred Shares”) on a bought deal basis to a syndicate of underwriters led by Scotiabank, CIBC, RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities Inc. for distribution to the public. The Preferred Shares will be issued at a price of CDN$25.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of CDN$125,000,000. The Preferred Shares are being issued through a wholly-owned subsidiary of, and are guaranteed by, Brookfield Renewable.

Brookfield Renewable has granted the underwriters an option, exercisable until 48 hours prior to closing, to purchase up to an additional 2,000,000 Preferred Shares which, if exercised, would increase the gross offering size to CDN$175,000,000.

The Preferred Shares will be offered to the public in Canada pursuant to a supplement to Brookfield Renewable’s existing short form base shelf prospectus dated January 23, 2012, that will be filed with securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. The Preferred Shares may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act.

The net proceeds of the issue will be used to repay outstanding indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. The offering of Preferred Shares is expected to close on or about May 1, 2013.

April 22, 2013

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

I am convinced that Toronto will have a major global competitive advantage in the next century – access to Lake Ontario:

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, is doubling spending on water management to a record as conglomerates from the Tatas to Adani face shortages that the United Nations calls an impending crisis.

Disputes with farmers demanding rights to their irrigated land have stalled about $80 billion of investment by companies including Posco and ArcelorMittal (MT) as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeks to revive an economy growing at the slowest pace in a decade. Tata Steel Ltd. (TATA), India’s biggest maker of the alloy, is setting annual targets to cut water usage as two-thirds of the country faces a scarcity, H.M. Nerurkar, managing director said in an April 11 interview.

“Water availability is a very big issue and in the coming days this will be a far bigger issue,” A.P. Choudhary, chairman of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd., India’s second-biggest state-run steelmaker, said in an interview. “Water is critical for the steel industry’s growth and no company is comfortably placed.”

Toronto area real-estate is already pretty expensive, but if I were a speculating kind of guy, I’d be thinking seriously about buying land in places like Cleveland and Detroit, and just trying to get enough current revenue to break even for the next thirty years.

It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good:

Donald R. Mullen Jr., who helped Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) profit from the U.S. housing crash, is giving the firm and its clients a way to gain from the recovery.

Mullen, 54, has raised almost $1 billion to buy single- family houses to rent since leaving Goldman Sachs last year as head of global credit and mortgages, five years after overseeing the bank’s bet against the imploding subprime home-loan market. His Fundamental REO LLC has already purchased or is close to acquiring almost 2,500 properties through foreclosure auctions, government agencies and even an Arizona non-profit that promotes affordable-home ownership, property records show.

Spend-Every-Penny is explaining why he has to extend his control over, and micromanagement of, the country’s financial system:

he federal budget, released in March, plans to prohibit lenders from selling insured mortgages to investors through any securitization method that is not managed by federally-run Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp . (CMHC).

That bombshell came “without any warning and without any consultation,” said Stephen Smith, president of the largest non-bank lender, First National. Speaking at the National Bank Canadian Financial Services Conference, Mr. Smith said the “collateral damage” to ABCP and smaller lenders “was not fully considered” by government officials.

In a statement, a Department of Finance official explained the government’s reasoning as follows:

“The Government is making these changes to increase market discipline in residential lending and reduce taxpayer exposure to the housing sector. Funding channels that use taxpayer-backed insured mortgages should be subject to minimum standards and Canadian oversight in order to promote financial stability.”

What the new rules really do is force lenders to sell their mortgages in the specific method dictated by Ottawa, as opposed to potentially lower cost private securitization.

The Central Planners have learnt the lessons of the Credit Crunch well – you can justify any idiocy you like, as long as you chant the magic words: “Hocus Pocus, Financial Stability, Abracadabra!”

Stop the presses! Gensler of the CFTC said something sensible!

Two interest rate benchmarks that banks were fined for rigging should be scrapped and replaced by indicators based on market transactions, a top U.S. regulator said on Monday.

The changes should also include benchmarks linked to gold, oil and other commodities, said Gary Gensler, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Regrettably, he did not explain how such a ban would be enforced. But doubtless there are lots of levers to use – call it terrorism, for instance. That’s what the Brits do.

We now know why the feds introduced covered bond legislation: it was to give a regulatory advantage to their future employers:

DBRS notes that there appear to be two unintended consequences of the legislation and the Guide, based on discussions with several Canadian issuers over the past few months.

First, as the requirements for continuous disclosure and data compliance required by the Guide are broad, extensive and, at times, onerous, the amount of time and effort required to comply with the mandated standard is substantial, which is also expected to be costly. Therefore, DBRS is of the opinion that lenders other than domestic systemically important banks (DSIBs) are not likely to pursue registration as a covered bond issuer under the legislation, and would therefore be at a disadvantage without the benefit of covered bond funding.

Second, as the legislation explicitly prohibits the issuance of covered bonds without registration, DBRS does not expect to see any coexistence of registered covered bonds and non-registered covered bonds in Canada, except for existing grandfathered covered bond programs.

It was a good day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualPremiums gaining 3bp, FixedResets winning 32bp and DeemedRetractibles gaining 14bp. Volatility was very good, dominated by winning FixedResets. Volume was quite high.

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 0.2306 % 2,592.4
FixedFloater 3.97 % 3.20 % 32,755 18.74 1 -1.4839 % 4,133.4
Floater 2.68 % 2.88 % 83,600 20.05 4 0.2306 % 2,799.1
OpRet 4.81 % 2.18 % 63,087 0.19 5 0.0000 % 2,606.8
SplitShare 4.80 % 4.03 % 127,316 4.12 5 -0.0078 % 2,962.5
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0000 % 2,383.7
Perpetual-Premium 5.19 % 3.07 % 84,755 0.85 32 0.0279 % 2,377.8
Perpetual-Discount 4.84 % 4.84 % 169,807 15.72 4 0.0000 % 2,690.0
FixedReset 4.93 % 2.81 % 251,665 3.78 80 0.3176 % 2,503.0
Deemed-Retractible 4.87 % 3.52 % 129,030 1.38 44 0.1449 % 2,451.2
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
BAM.PR.G FixedFloater -1.48 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-22
Maturity Price : 22.92
Evaluated at bid price : 23.90
Bid-YTW : 3.20 %
SLF.PR.I FixedReset 1.08 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-12-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.13
Bid-YTW : 3.04 %
FTS.PR.H FixedReset 1.19 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-22
Maturity Price : 23.76
Evaluated at bid price : 25.59
Bid-YTW : 2.53 %
MFC.PR.J FixedReset 1.20 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-03-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.17
Bid-YTW : 3.06 %
MFC.PR.H FixedReset 1.22 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-03-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.58
Bid-YTW : 3.00 %
GWO.PR.N FixedReset 1.26 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.10
Bid-YTW : 3.15 %
GWO.PR.H Deemed-Retractible 1.28 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-09-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.24
Bid-YTW : 4.40 %
IAG.PR.G FixedReset 1.50 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.36
Bid-YTW : 2.99 %
MFC.PR.G FixedReset 6.38 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-12-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.33
Bid-YTW : 2.98 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
PWF.PR.S Perpetual-Premium 175,668 Scotia crossed 40,000 at 25.55. RBC crossed blocks of 50,000 and 49,900 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.55
Bid-YTW : 4.51 %
SLF.PR.I FixedReset 105,550 Nesbitt crossed 100,000 at 26.05.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-12-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.13
Bid-YTW : 3.04 %
TRP.PR.D FixedReset 76,990 TD bought 20,700 from RBC at 26.05.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-22
Maturity Price : 23.40
Evaluated at bid price : 26.02
Bid-YTW : 3.34 %
CU.PR.F Perpetual-Premium 74,380 TD crossed blocks of 35,000 and 25,000, both at 25.51.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.55
Bid-YTW : 4.29 %
BAM.PF.A FixedReset 68,689 National crossed 20,000 at 26.75. Scotia crossed 25,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-09-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.58
Bid-YTW : 3.29 %
TD.PR.S FixedReset 57,907 RBC crossed 35,200 at 24.86.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.80
Bid-YTW : 2.90 %
There were 49 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
RY.PR.I FixedReset Quote: 25.46 – 25.86
Spot Rate : 0.4000
Average : 0.2571

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.46
Bid-YTW : 3.11 %

IAG.PR.C FixedReset Quote: 25.68 – 25.99
Spot Rate : 0.3100
Average : 0.2032

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-12-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.68
Bid-YTW : 2.77 %

BAM.PR.G FixedFloater Quote: 23.90 – 24.40
Spot Rate : 0.5000
Average : 0.4043

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-22
Maturity Price : 22.92
Evaluated at bid price : 23.90
Bid-YTW : 3.20 %

MFC.PR.B Deemed-Retractible Quote: 24.75 – 25.08
Spot Rate : 0.3300
Average : 0.2492

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.75
Bid-YTW : 4.84 %

IAG.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 26.36 – 26.64
Spot Rate : 0.2800
Average : 0.1999

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.36
Bid-YTW : 2.99 %

FTS.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 25.06 – 25.28
Spot Rate : 0.2200
Average : 0.1443

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-22
Maturity Price : 24.50
Evaluated at bid price : 25.06
Bid-YTW : 3.27 %

April 19, 2013

Saturday, April 20th, 2013

Civility trumps justice:

Mr. Groia has spoken scathingly about his profession’s “civility movement” and has painted the discipline proceedings as a worrying attack on the ability of all lawyers to mount vigorous defences in high-stakes cases. He has received support from prominent voices in the legal community, including former Conrad Black lawyer Edward Greenspan, who warned of a chill that could see defence lawyers second-guess tough arguments for fear they will be face discipline years later.

DBRS has confirmed Brookfield Canada Office Properties at BBB:

The confirmation is based primarily on BCOP’s steady operating performance and stable financial profile within the context of a relatively inactive year for new investment. The Stable trend reflects DBRS’s expectation that operating performance will remain consistent in the near to medium term, incorporating the potential for moderately higher financial leverage that may be incurred with the refinancing of upcoming debt maturities.

BCOP’s operating income increased significantly to $239 million in 2012 from $204 million in 2011, primarily due to a full year of contribution from the 25% interest in the Canadian Office Fund, which was acquired in late 2011. BCOP achieved same-property net operating income growth of 4.8% in 2012, mainly due to higher average rental rates on renewals and a slight improvement in overall occupancy rate (96.9% as at December 31, 2012). The higher rental rates and solid occupancy levels reached by BCOP are reflective of favourable office leasing conditions in its core markets. That said, there has been a lack of suitable supply with attractive valuations in these markets, which contributed to the fact that BCOP did not make any significant new investments or require any material capital raises in 2012.

As such, BCOP’s debt balance and EBITDA interest coverage remained relatively steady in 2012 at 2.19 times (x), versus 2.22x in 2011. DBRS notes that debt-to-capital decreased to 39.9% at December 31, 2012, from 43.1% at the end of 2011, based on higher asset valuations.

This is relevant to BAM investors because:

The Trust is a subsidiary of BPO Properties Ltd. (“BPP”), which owns an aggregate equity interest in the Trust of 83.3% as of December 31, 2012 consisting of 40.5% of the issued and outstanding units of BOX (“Trust Units”) and 100% of the issued and outstanding Class B limited partnership units (“Class B LP Units”) of Brookfield Office Properties Canada LP (“BOPC LP”), a subsidiary of BOX that owns direct interests in the Trust’s investment properties.

… and BPO Properties has proposed to exchange its preferreds for preferreds in it its owner, Brookfield Office Properties, and:

Brookfield Office Properties Inc. (“Brookfield Office Properties” or “the company”) is incorporated under the laws of Canada. The company owns, develops and operates commercial office properties in select cities in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (“BAM”), which owns approximately 51% of the company’s voting shares.

DBRS also confirmed Thomson Reuters at A (low), R-1 (low) and Pfd-2 (low), Stable, proud issuer of TRI.PR.B:

The ratings confirmation reflects positive expectations regarding the Company’s enhanced product offerings, particularly in the Financial & Risk segment, along with its stable free cash flow generation over the past year. The ratings continue to be supported by the Company’s entrenched market position, predominantly subscription-based revenue model and the diverse nature of its customer base. The ratings also reflect intensifying competition in key segments as well as risks associated with the Company’s acquisition and divestiture program.

It was another poor day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualPremiums off 11bp, FixedResets losing 31bp and DeemedRetractibles down 14bp. A relatively lengthy list of Performance Highlights is dominated by losing FixedResets – highly skewed towards those with low Issue Reset Spreads. Volume was extremely high; perhaps related to Monday’s index changes.

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 0.2054 % 2,586.4
FixedFloater 3.92 % 3.13 % 32,963 18.85 1 2.1044 % 4,195.7
Floater 2.69 % 2.89 % 84,637 20.01 4 0.2054 % 2,792.7
OpRet 4.81 % 2.17 % 63,447 0.19 5 -0.1005 % 2,606.8
SplitShare 4.80 % 4.02 % 127,814 4.12 5 -0.0549 % 2,962.8
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.1005 % 2,383.7
Perpetual-Premium 5.19 % 3.51 % 85,203 0.53 32 -0.1114 % 2,377.1
Perpetual-Discount 4.84 % 4.83 % 172,368 15.73 4 -0.0607 % 2,690.0
FixedReset 4.95 % 2.87 % 248,118 4.00 80 -0.3127 % 2,495.1
Deemed-Retractible 4.88 % 3.52 % 127,865 1.53 44 -0.1447 % 2,447.6
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
MFC.PR.G FixedReset -5.71 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.75
Bid-YTW : 4.34 %
GWO.PR.N FixedReset -1.82 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.80
Bid-YTW : 3.30 %
HSE.PR.A FixedReset -1.78 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-19
Maturity Price : 23.66
Evaluated at bid price : 25.88
Bid-YTW : 2.82 %
GWO.PR.H Deemed-Retractible -1.50 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.92
Bid-YTW : 4.94 %
MFC.PR.J FixedReset -1.30 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-03-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.86
Bid-YTW : 3.32 %
IAG.PR.G FixedReset -1.14 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-06-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.97
Bid-YTW : 3.38 %
MFC.PR.F FixedReset -1.08 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.73
Bid-YTW : 3.20 %
BAM.PR.G FixedFloater 2.10 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-19
Maturity Price : 23.06
Evaluated at bid price : 24.26
Bid-YTW : 3.13 %
BAM.PR.K Floater 2.32 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-19
Maturity Price : 18.05
Evaluated at bid price : 18.05
Bid-YTW : 2.92 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
TRP.PR.D FixedReset 747,098 Added to TXPR.

Scotia crossed 100,000 at 26.00. National crossed blocks of 200,000 shares, 101,000 and 25,000, all at 26.00. TD crossed blocks of 50,000 shares, 10,000 and 22,000, all at 26.00.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-19
Maturity Price : 23.37
Evaluated at bid price : 25.90
Bid-YTW : 3.39 %

GWO.PR.P Deemed-Retractible 134,966 Nesbitt crossed 75,600 at 26.40; National crossed two blocks of 25,000 each at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-03-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.37
Bid-YTW : 4.64 %
BNS.PR.P FixedReset 109,446 Imminent partial conversion to first FloatingReset.
TD crossed 70,700 at 25.19.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.15
Bid-YTW : -2.59 %
POW.PR.G Perpetual-Premium 102,520 RBC crossed 60,000 at 27.10; Scotia crossed 39,700 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-04-15
Maturity Price : 26.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.01
Bid-YTW : 4.35 %
FTS.PR.C OpRet 95,353 Added to TXPR.
Scotia crossed 10,000 at 25.43; Desjardins crossed 75,000 at 25.45.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.45
Bid-YTW : -3.54 %
CU.PR.F Perpetual-Premium 79,535 Added to TXPR.

National crossed 25,000 at 25.46. Scotia crossed 34,400 at 25.50.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.41
Bid-YTW : 4.36 %

There were 83 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
MFC.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 24.75 – 26.35
Spot Rate : 1.6000
Average : 0.8961

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.75
Bid-YTW : 4.34 %

FTS.PR.J Perpetual-Premium Quote: 25.90 – 27.00
Spot Rate : 1.1000
Average : 0.7879

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-12-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.90
Bid-YTW : 4.36 %

BNA.PR.E SplitShare Quote: 25.70 – 26.20
Spot Rate : 0.5000
Average : 0.2902

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2017-12-10
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.70
Bid-YTW : 4.34 %

GWO.PR.H Deemed-Retractible Quote: 24.92 – 25.35
Spot Rate : 0.4300
Average : 0.2611

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.92
Bid-YTW : 4.94 %

PWF.PR.O Perpetual-Premium Quote: 26.48 – 26.92
Spot Rate : 0.4400
Average : 0.2790

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-10-31
Maturity Price : 26.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.48
Bid-YTW : 4.24 %

PWF.PR.R Perpetual-Premium Quote: 26.67 – 27.04
Spot Rate : 0.3700
Average : 0.2608

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.67
Bid-YTW : 4.50 %

PrefLetter Payment Processing Problems

Saturday, April 20th, 2013

I’ve received a few eMails from irate would-be subscribers who inform me they are unable to pay for a subscription.

I have been advised that my credit card processor tweaked its servers two days ago so that it will no longer accept “GET” commands, but insists on “POST”. It looks like my subscription software has been substandard for the past six years.

I am working on resolving the problem. I will post a notice here once I’ve fixed and tested the software. Until then, the “eMail Verification Page” has been turned into a dead end.

April 18, 2013

Friday, April 19th, 2013

So how much of what we think we know is actually a silly error?

In the world of economic luminaries, it doesn’t get much bigger than Reinhart and Rogoff, whose work has had enormous influence in one of the biggest economic policy debates of the age.

Reinhart and Rogoff have admitted to a “coding error” in the spreadsheet that meant some countries were omitted from their calculations. But the economists denied they selectively omitted data or that they used a questionable methodology.

“It is sobering that such an error slipped into one of our papers despite our best efforts to be consistently careful,” they said in a joint statement. “We do not, however, believe this regrettable slip affects in any significant way the central message of the paper or that in our subsequent work.”

Certainly, false advertising should not be condoned. But banning somebody from the industry for life seems a little extreme:

According to the SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings against Tandon, he represented to CalPERS in May 2008 that Simran met explicit AUM requirements and managed at least $200 million as of Dec. 31, 2007. In fact, Simran managed approximately $80 million at that time. Evidence indicates that Tandon was aware that Simran did not meet the CalPERS requirements for AUM.

According to the SEC’s order, Tandon violated Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 207 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Tandon neither admitted nor denied the findings, and agreed to be barred from the securities industry and pay disgorgement of $20,018, prejudgment interest of $1,680, and a penalty of $100,000.

Well, at least another SEC lawyer got another notch in his belt.

DGS.PR.A was confirmed by DBRS at Pfd-3:

The net asset value (NAV) of the Company dropped shortly after the last rating confirmation in May 2012, but has been increasing since June. As of April 11, 2013, the downside protection available to the Preferred Shares is approximately 42.5% and the dividend coverage ratio is approximately 1.0 times. The Pfd-3 rating of the Preferred Shares is based primarily on the downside protection available and the additional protection provided by an asset coverage test, which does not permit any distributions to holders of the Class A Shares if the NAV of the Company falls below $15.

It was a modestly down day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualPremiums down 7bp, FixedResets off 3bp and DeemedRetractibles losing 8bp. Volatility was modest. Volume was high.

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 -0.2306 % 2,581.1
FixedFloater 4.00 % 3.23 % 32,972 18.70 1 1.3220 % 4,109.2
Floater 2.70 % 2.88 % 87,766 20.05 4 -0.2306 % 2,786.9
OpRet 4.80 % 0.19 % 59,115 0.17 5 -0.2005 % 2,609.4
SplitShare 4.80 % 4.02 % 129,771 4.13 5 0.1414 % 2,964.4
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.2005 % 2,386.1
Perpetual-Premium 5.18 % 3.03 % 82,415 0.86 32 -0.0671 % 2,379.8
Perpetual-Discount 4.83 % 4.82 % 174,423 15.75 4 0.0101 % 2,691.6
FixedReset 4.93 % 2.86 % 241,862 3.58 80 -0.0271 % 2,502.9
Deemed-Retractible 4.87 % 3.54 % 128,204 0.59 44 -0.0785 % 2,451.2
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
BAM.PR.K Floater -2.76 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 17.64
Evaluated at bid price : 17.64
Bid-YTW : 2.99 %
FTS.PR.E OpRet -1.01 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.75
Evaluated at bid price : 26.41
Bid-YTW : -10.82 %
BAM.PR.G FixedFloater 1.32 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 22.86
Evaluated at bid price : 23.76
Bid-YTW : 3.23 %
BAM.PR.C Floater 2.68 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 18.00
Evaluated at bid price : 18.00
Bid-YTW : 2.93 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
ENB.PR.F FixedReset 187,140 Desjardins crossed blocks of 25,000 shares, 100,000 and 30,000, all at 25.95.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.85
Bid-YTW : 3.40 %
CU.PR.F Perpetual-Premium 152,601 Scotia crossed blocks of 24,800 and 50,000, both at 25.54. Desjardins crossed 30,000 at the same price; National crossed 28,000 at the same price again.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.53
Bid-YTW : 4.29 %
FTS.PR.C OpRet 109,100 RBC crossed 35,000 at 25.45. National crossed two blocks of 35,000 each, both at 25.45.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.34
Bid-YTW : 0.10 %
PWF.PR.S Perpetual-Premium 74,772 Scotia crossed blocks of 52,800 and 15,000, both at 25.45.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.40
Bid-YTW : 4.59 %
BAM.PF.A FixedReset 41,660 Desjardins sold 13,300 to anonymous at 26.71. Nesbitt bought 14,700 from National at 26.74.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-09-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.69
Bid-YTW : 3.20 %
RY.PR.G Deemed-Retractible 41,100 Scotia crossed 40,000 at 25.84.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-05-24
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.84
Bid-YTW : 3.59 %
There were 48 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
BAM.PR.K Floater Quote: 17.64 – 18.16
Spot Rate : 0.5200
Average : 0.3334

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 17.64
Evaluated at bid price : 17.64
Bid-YTW : 2.99 %

TCA.PR.Y Perpetual-Premium Quote: 51.00 – 51.50
Spot Rate : 0.5000
Average : 0.3222

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-05
Maturity Price : 50.00
Evaluated at bid price : 51.00
Bid-YTW : 3.03 %

BAM.PR.G FixedFloater Quote: 23.76 – 24.40
Spot Rate : 0.6400
Average : 0.4743

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 22.86
Evaluated at bid price : 23.76
Bid-YTW : 3.23 %

PWF.PR.M FixedReset Quote: 25.80 – 26.15
Spot Rate : 0.3500
Average : 0.2201

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.80
Bid-YTW : 1.64 %

TRI.PR.B Floater Quote: 23.90 – 24.55
Spot Rate : 0.6500
Average : 0.5319

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-18
Maturity Price : 23.63
Evaluated at bid price : 23.90
Bid-YTW : 2.18 %

MFC.PR.C Deemed-Retractible Quote: 24.58 – 24.90
Spot Rate : 0.3200
Average : 0.2111

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2025-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.58
Bid-YTW : 4.75 %

April 17, 2013

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

The Bank of Canada conveyed no surprises in its rate announcement:

On a quarterly basis, growth in Canada is expected to pick up to about 2.5 per cent in the second half of this year. Despite this expected pickup, with the weak growth in the second half of 2012, annual average growth is now projected to be 1.5 per cent in 2013. The economy is then projected to grow by 2.8 per cent in 2014 and 2.7 per cent in 2015, reaching full capacity in mid-2015 – later than anticipated in the January MPR.

Total CPI and core inflation have remained low in recent months, broadly in line with expectations in the January MPR. Muted core inflation reflects material excess supply in the economy, heightened competitive pressures in the retail sector, and some special factors such as slower increases in regulated prices and the pass-through of previous declines in agricultural prices to consumer prices. Total CPI inflation has been restrained by low core inflation and declining mortgage interest costs, with some offset from higher gasoline prices.

Both total and core inflation are expected to remain subdued in coming quarters before gradually rising to 2 per cent by mid-2015 as the economy returns to full capacity, the special factors that are weighing on core inflation subside, and inflation expectations remain well-anchored.

The Canadian preferred share market got hit today, with PerpetualPremiums off 8bp, FixedResets down 18bp and DeemedRetractibles losing 21bp. Volatility was minimal. Volume was very high.

PerpetualDiscounts now yield 4.82%, equivalent to 6.27% interest at the standard equivalency factor of 1.3x. Long Corporates now yield a little under 4.1%, so the pre-tax interest-equivalent spread (in this context, the “Seniority Spread”) is now about 220bp, a significant widening from the 210bp reported April 3.

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 -0.7248 % 2,587.1
FixedFloater 4.05 % 3.36 % 32,538 18.67 1 0.0000 % 4,055.6
Floater 2.69 % 2.88 % 88,706 20.06 4 -0.7248 % 2,793.4
OpRet 4.79 % 0.42 % 54,742 0.17 5 0.0154 % 2,614.7
SplitShare 4.80 % 4.02 % 130,600 4.13 5 0.1027 % 2,960.2
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0154 % 2,390.9
Perpetual-Premium 5.18 % 3.10 % 82,131 0.86 32 -0.0822 % 2,381.4
Perpetual-Discount 4.83 % 4.82 % 175,942 15.76 4 -0.0607 % 2,691.3
FixedReset 4.93 % 2.78 % 238,676 3.78 80 -0.1783 % 2,503.6
Deemed-Retractible 4.87 % 3.55 % 125,778 0.59 44 -0.2120 % 2,453.1
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
BAM.PR.C Floater -2.88 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-17
Maturity Price : 17.53
Evaluated at bid price : 17.53
Bid-YTW : 3.01 %
MFC.PR.J FixedReset -1.10 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-03-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.15
Bid-YTW : 3.07 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
PWF.PR.S Perpetual-Premium 202,970 Scotia crossed 75,000 at 25.45. RBC crossed blocks of 75,000 and 40,000, both at 25.45.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2022-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.40
Bid-YTW : 4.58 %
TRP.PR.D FixedReset 89,897 TD crossed 23,400 at 26.14; Scotia crossed 35,000 at 26.10.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2019-04-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.04
Bid-YTW : 3.34 %
POW.PR.B Perpetual-Premium 76,256 Scotia crossed 50,000 at 25.47; TD crossed 20,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-17
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.45
Bid-YTW : -15.40 %
ENB.PR.F FixedReset 71,274 Desjardins crossed 49,200 at 25.95.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-06-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.88
Bid-YTW : 3.37 %
BNS.PR.R FixedReset 43,990 National crossed 30,000 at 25.32.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.26
Bid-YTW : 3.02 %
ENB.PR.D FixedReset 32,811 Desjardins crossed 19,400 at 25.92.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-17
Maturity Price : 23.42
Evaluated at bid price : 25.84
Bid-YTW : 3.37 %
There were 51 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
FTS.PR.J Perpetual-Premium Quote: 26.00 – 27.00
Spot Rate : 1.0000
Average : 0.6933

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-12-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.00
Bid-YTW : 4.30 %

BAM.PR.C Floater Quote: 17.53 – 18.20
Spot Rate : 0.6700
Average : 0.4249

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-17
Maturity Price : 17.53
Evaluated at bid price : 17.53
Bid-YTW : 3.01 %

MFC.PR.J FixedReset Quote: 26.15 – 26.48
Spot Rate : 0.3300
Average : 0.2289

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2018-03-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.15
Bid-YTW : 3.07 %

TRI.PR.B Floater Quote: 24.05 – 24.55
Spot Rate : 0.5000
Average : 0.4024

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2043-04-17
Maturity Price : 23.74
Evaluated at bid price : 24.05
Bid-YTW : 2.16 %

TD.PR.O Deemed-Retractible Quote: 25.73 – 26.00
Spot Rate : 0.2700
Average : 0.1749

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-17
Maturity Price : 25.50
Evaluated at bid price : 25.73
Bid-YTW : -8.08 %

BMO.PR.L Deemed-Retractible Quote: 26.70 – 26.95
Spot Rate : 0.2500
Average : 0.1606

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-25
Maturity Price : 26.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.70
Bid-YTW : -12.18 %