Archive for April, 2011

April 29, 2011

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Elections have consequences!

The TMX Group Inc.’ s plan to merge with London Stock Exchange Group Plc wouldn’t get federal government approval if Jack Layton has any say — and polls say that the New Democratic Party leader may have a lot of say after Monday’s federal election.

Speaking Friday as his party surges in popularity, Mr. Layton said he saw too much risk to approve the deal.

“We worry that Canadian business trying to access capital might have greater difficulty. As much as one might want to pretend that nothing will change, we find that hard to believe,” he said, according to Reuters.

But there’s a decent chance the deal will be approved before the new Minister’s office is painted orange:

On Friday TMX Group (X-T40.080.150.38%) and London Stock Exchange Group cast any questions aside by starting the formal application process with federal and provincial authorities regarding their proposed combination.

That means TMX has submitted its application to Investment Canada, which now has 75 days at most to review the proposal. Formal filings with the four provincial regulators who have a say will come in the next few weeks.

It was another mixed and somewhat strange day on the Canadian preferred share market – it appears that the announcement that CM will prioritize preferred share redemptions is having some effect. PerpetualDiscounts gained 20bp, FixedResets were down 4bp and DeemedRetractibles won 44bp. DeemedRetractibles dominated the Performance Highlights table, with a few insurer issues nestled amongst the banks. Volume was good.

And that’s a wrap for another month! Final figures aren’t in yet, but it looks like the overall market was basically flat on the month.

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 0.2135 % 2,424.7
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.2135 % 3,646.7
Floater 2.49 % 2.26 % 35,609 21.62 4 0.2135 % 2,618.0
OpRet 4.91 % 3.62 % 58,150 2.05 8 0.0578 % 2,414.9
SplitShare 5.21 % -2.05 % 80,405 0.63 6 0.0022 % 2,495.2
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0578 % 2,208.2
Perpetual-Premium 5.78 % 5.66 % 123,843 6.12 8 0.0844 % 2,054.3
Perpetual-Discount 5.57 % 5.58 % 144,536 14.41 16 0.2049 % 2,126.9
FixedReset 5.18 % 3.46 % 214,695 2.90 57 -0.0366 % 2,292.6
Deemed-Retractible 5.24 % 5.07 % 317,498 8.13 53 0.4354 % 2,094.5
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
POW.PR.B Perpetual-Discount 1.02 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-29
Maturity Price : 23.41
Evaluated at bid price : 23.70
Bid-YTW : 5.68 %
RY.PR.F Deemed-Retractible 1.20 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.62
Bid-YTW : 5.11 %
RY.PR.B Deemed-Retractible 1.28 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.44
Bid-YTW : 4.96 %
BMO.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 1.48 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.01
Bid-YTW : 4.97 %
IAG.PR.A Deemed-Retractible 1.56 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.46
Bid-YTW : 6.54 %
GWO.PR.H Deemed-Retractible 1.58 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 22.46
Bid-YTW : 6.25 %
BNS.PR.K Deemed-Retractible 1.85 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.75
Bid-YTW : 4.95 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
CM.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 72,205 TD crossed 42,400 at 24.05.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.05
Bid-YTW : 4.99 %
BNS.PR.P FixedReset 43,326 Nesbitt bought 10,000 from anonymous at 26.00; Desjardins crossed 25,000 at 26.02.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-05-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.95
Bid-YTW : 3.07 %
POW.PR.B Perpetual-Discount 42,719 RBC bought two blocks of 10,000 each from anonymous at 23.50, then crossed 11,000 at 23.60.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-29
Maturity Price : 23.41
Evaluated at bid price : 23.70
Bid-YTW : 5.68 %
CM.PR.I Deemed-Retractible 33,700 YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.50
Bid-YTW : 4.97 %
HSB.PR.E FixedReset 31,305 Desjardins crossed 10,000 at 27.32.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.35
Bid-YTW : 3.76 %
PWF.PR.L Perpetual-Discount 29,723 Desjardins crossed 25,000 at 23.00.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-29
Maturity Price : 22.78
Evaluated at bid price : 22.97
Bid-YTW : 5.58 %
There were 38 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
BAM.PR.R FixedReset Quote: 25.60 – 26.18
Spot Rate : 0.5800
Average : 0.4320

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.60
Bid-YTW : 4.95 %

TD.PR.C FixedReset Quote: 26.41 – 26.80
Spot Rate : 0.3900
Average : 0.2844

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-02
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.41
Bid-YTW : 3.51 %

POW.PR.D Perpetual-Discount Quote: 22.73 – 23.05
Spot Rate : 0.3200
Average : 0.2157

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-29
Maturity Price : 22.54
Evaluated at bid price : 22.73
Bid-YTW : 5.54 %

IAG.PR.E Deemed-Retractible Quote: 25.60 – 25.86
Spot Rate : 0.2600
Average : 0.1640

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2019-01-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.60
Bid-YTW : 5.73 %

GWO.PR.N FixedReset Quote: 24.55 – 24.85
Spot Rate : 0.3000
Average : 0.2296

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.55
Bid-YTW : 4.04 %

BAM.PR.K Floater Quote: 19.20 – 19.39
Spot Rate : 0.1900
Average : 0.1263

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-29
Maturity Price : 19.20
Evaluated at bid price : 19.20
Bid-YTW : 2.75 %

April 28, 2011

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Nothing happened today.

It was a mixed day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualDiscounts losing 4bp, FixedResets up 10bp and DeemedRetractibles gaining 41bp. The Performance Highlights table was comprised entirely of strongly performing bank DeemedRetractibles, almost certainly due to news that CM will prioritize preferred share redemptions as a use of its excess capital. Volume was strong.

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 -0.0948 % 2,419.5
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.0948 % 3,639.0
Floater 2.49 % 2.26 % 35,105 21.63 4 -0.0948 % 2,612.5
OpRet 4.91 % 3.40 % 57,138 2.05 8 0.1158 % 2,413.5
SplitShare 5.21 % -1.89 % 81,402 0.63 6 -0.1291 % 2,495.2
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.1158 % 2,206.9
Perpetual-Premium 5.79 % 5.62 % 124,326 6.12 8 0.1441 % 2,052.6
Perpetual-Discount 5.58 % 5.58 % 133,843 14.38 16 -0.0412 % 2,122.6
FixedReset 5.18 % 3.46 % 218,011 2.90 57 0.1034 % 2,293.5
Deemed-Retractible 5.26 % 5.13 % 315,125 8.12 53 0.4070 % 2,085.4
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
BMO.PR.K Deemed-Retractible 1.02 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-12-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.27
Bid-YTW : 4.98 %
RY.PR.D Deemed-Retractible 1.32 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.74
Bid-YTW : 5.10 %
RY.PR.C Deemed-Retractible 1.57 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.91
Bid-YTW : 5.12 %
CM.PR.J Deemed-Retractible 1.70 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.92
Bid-YTW : 5.05 %
CM.PR.H Deemed-Retractible 1.81 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.69
Bid-YTW : 4.98 %
CM.PR.I Deemed-Retractible 1.84 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.35
Bid-YTW : 5.04 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
MFC.PR.D FixedReset 121,669 TD crossed blocks of 17,300 and 10,000, RBC crossed 50,000 and 25,000 and TD bought 10,000 from CIBC, all at 27.50. YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.46
Bid-YTW : 3.64 %
TD.PR.R Deemed-Retractible 119,333 RBC crossed two blocks of 50,000 each, both at 25.98.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-05-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.93
Bid-YTW : 4.91 %
BNS.PR.O Deemed-Retractible 103,700 Nesbitt and TD both crossed 50,000 at 25.60.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-05-26
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.65
Bid-YTW : 5.13 %
MFC.PR.C Deemed-Retractible 65,043 RBC crossed 15,000 and TD crossed 24,300, both at 21.02.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 20.92
Bid-YTW : 6.76 %
RY.PR.R FixedReset 59,736 Nesbitt crossed 50,000 at 26.90.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-26
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.91
Bid-YTW : 3.39 %
CM.PR.D Deemed-Retractible 55,206 RBC crossed 48,600 at 25.43.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2011-05-30
Maturity Price : 25.25
Evaluated at bid price : 25.40
Bid-YTW : -1.43 %
There were 51 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
RY.PR.B Deemed-Retractible Quote: 24.13 – 24.58
Spot Rate : 0.4500
Average : 0.3186

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.13
Bid-YTW : 5.11 %

GWO.PR.F Deemed-Retractible Quote: 25.20 – 25.54
Spot Rate : 0.3400
Average : 0.2399

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2012-10-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.20
Bid-YTW : 5.68 %

BAM.PR.J OpRet Quote: 26.89 – 27.20
Spot Rate : 0.3100
Average : 0.2183

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-04-30
Maturity Price : 26.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.89
Bid-YTW : 4.13 %

PWF.PR.L Perpetual-Discount Quote: 22.95 – 23.23
Spot Rate : 0.2800
Average : 0.2011

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-28
Maturity Price : 22.76
Evaluated at bid price : 22.95
Bid-YTW : 5.58 %

BMO.PR.M FixedReset Quote: 25.93 – 26.18
Spot Rate : 0.2500
Average : 0.1724

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-09-24
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.93
Bid-YTW : 3.16 %

BAM.PR.I OpRet Quote: 25.31 – 25.60
Spot Rate : 0.2900
Average : 0.2134

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2012-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.31
Bid-YTW : 4.84 %

ES.PR.B Upgraded to Pfd-3 by DBRS

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Dominion Bond Rating Service has announced that it:

has today updated the ratings of preferred shares issued by three split share companies and trusts (the Issuers): Energy Split Corporation, SNP Split Corp. and Utility Split Trust. The preferred shares of Energy Split Corporation have been upgraded to Pfd-3 from Pfd-3 (low), and the preferred shares/securities of SNP Split Corp. and Utility Split Trust have been confirmed at Pfd-3 (high) and Pfd-2 (low), respectively.

Each of the Issuers has invested in a portfolio of securities funded by the issuance of two classes of shares – dividend-yielding preferred shares (or securities) and capital shares (or units). The main form of credit enhancement available to preferred shares is a buffer of downside protection. Downside protection corresponds to the percentage decline in market value of a portfolio that must be experienced before the preferred shares would be in a loss position. The amount of downside protection available to preferred shares will fluctuate over time based on changes in the market value of the portfolio.

Today’s rating actions reflect generally upward trends in the net asset value (NAV) of the respective portfolios over the past year. In its surveillance of split share funds, DBRS reviews historical trends in downside protection and assigns greater weighting to more recent Issuer NAVs. Each of the Issuers has a scheduled termination date in 2011.

Energy Split Corporation is ES.PR.B, last mentioned on PrefBlog when it was upgraded to Pfd-3(low) by DBRS. ES.PR.B is not tracked by HIMIPref™, but it will be considered for inclusion in the database if they go for a term extension.

CM to Prioritize Preferred Share Redemptions

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Doug Alexander of Bloomberg reports:

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce plans to spend any extra capital to redeem C$3.16 billion ($3.32 billion) in preferred shares that won’t count as regulatory capital under new banking rules, Chief Executive Officer Gerald McCaughey said.

“We do have an excess of Tier 1 capital today and in the future,” McCaughey, 55, said in an interview today. “A first step in terms of our usage of excess resources will be to reduce instruments that we have that are ineffective in the new environment.”

Canada’s fifth-biggest bank had a so-called Tier 1 capital ratio of 14.3 percent as of Jan. 31, second only to National Bank of Canada. The Toronto-based bank sold more than C$2.4 billion in preferred shares and other notes since August 2008 to shore up its balance sheet during the financial crisis.

“We will be looking at our non-common Tier 1 instruments in the near future,” McCaughey said in Winnipeg, Manitoba, after the bank’s annual meeting. “That allows us to deploy a certain amount of excess resources in a fashion that does help earnings per share.”

Share buybacks aren’t a priority for the Toronto-based bank, McCaughey said.

“We do not expect in the near term to be deploying that capital in activities such as buybacks,” he said.

This is fascinating. On the surface, it sounds as if they don’t intend any issuance of non-common Tier 1 at all – but I find that very hard to believe.

April 27, 2011

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

The FOMC Statement did not contain any major surprises:

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March indicates that the economic recovery is proceeding at a moderate pace and overall conditions in the labor market are improving gradually.

Inflation has picked up in recent months, but longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable and measures of underlying inflation are still subdued.

Increases in the prices of energy and other commodities have pushed up inflation in recent months. The Committee expects these effects to be transitory, but it will pay close attention to the evolution of inflation and inflation expectations.

The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate for an extended period.

It was a good day for the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualDiscounts up 11bp, FixedResets gaining 5bp and DeemedRetractibles winning 9bp. Volatility remained low, but volume was pretty good.

PerpetualDiscounts now yield 5.58%, equivalent to 7.25% interest at the standard equivalency factor of 1.3x. Long Corporates remain at about 5.5% (maybe a little less) so the pre-tax interest-equivalent spread (also called the Seniority Spread) is now about 175bp, with all numbers unchanged from the April 20 values.

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 0.2375 % 2,421.8
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.2375 % 3,642.4
Floater 2.49 % 2.26 % 35,055 21.63 4 0.2375 % 2,614.9
OpRet 4.92 % 3.58 % 57,224 2.05 8 -0.0289 % 2,410.7
SplitShare 5.20 % -2.04 % 84,665 0.63 6 0.0607 % 2,498.4
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 -0.0289 % 2,204.3
Perpetual-Premium 5.80 % 5.60 % 125,026 6.13 8 -0.0099 % 2,049.6
Perpetual-Discount 5.57 % 5.58 % 133,772 14.40 16 0.1132 % 2,123.4
FixedReset 5.18 % 3.45 % 210,159 2.90 57 0.0459 % 2,291.1
Deemed-Retractible 5.28 % 5.23 % 298,094 8.11 53 0.0852 % 2,076.9
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
IAG.PR.A Deemed-Retractible -1.68 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.02
Bid-YTW : 6.79 %
BAM.PR.T FixedReset -1.01 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-27
Maturity Price : 22.95
Evaluated at bid price : 24.55
Bid-YTW : 4.81 %
RY.PR.L FixedReset 1.15 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-26
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.50
Bid-YTW : 3.26 %
SLF.PR.E Deemed-Retractible 1.54 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.15
Bid-YTW : 6.60 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
BNS.PR.R FixedReset 88,816 Nesbitt crossed 42,000 at 26.10; Desjardins crossed 30,000 at 26.10 and 10,200 at 26.15.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-02-25
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.10
Bid-YTW : 3.32 %
BAM.PR.B Floater 68,757 Nesbitt crossed two blocks of 25,000 each, both at 19.05.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-27
Maturity Price : 19.05
Evaluated at bid price : 19.05
Bid-YTW : 2.77 %
BMO.PR.Q FixedReset 47,010 Nesbitt bought 11,500 from anonymous at 24.93.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 24.97
Bid-YTW : 3.91 %
MFC.PR.D FixedReset 37,634 RBC crossed 28,800 at 27.50.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.44
Bid-YTW : 3.67 %
SLF.PR.F FixedReset 35,501 Desjardins crossed 10,000 at 27.05; Nesbitt crossed 18,300 at 27.07.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.01
Bid-YTW : 3.56 %
CM.PR.K FixedReset 34,335 TD crossed 24,900 at 26.60.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-08-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.60
Bid-YTW : 3.32 %
There were 38 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
IAG.PR.A Deemed-Retractible Quote: 21.02 – 21.63
Spot Rate : 0.6100
Average : 0.3830

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.02
Bid-YTW : 6.79 %

GWO.PR.H Deemed-Retractible Quote: 22.05 – 22.57
Spot Rate : 0.5200
Average : 0.3678

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 22.05
Bid-YTW : 6.47 %

MFC.PR.C Deemed-Retractible Quote: 20.82 – 21.08
Spot Rate : 0.2600
Average : 0.1841

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 20.82
Bid-YTW : 6.82 %

FTS.PR.G FixedReset Quote: 26.35 – 26.99
Spot Rate : 0.6400
Average : 0.5668

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2013-10-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.35
Bid-YTW : 3.23 %

PWF.PR.P FixedReset Quote: 25.41 – 25.79
Spot Rate : 0.3800
Average : 0.3076

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2016-03-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.41
Bid-YTW : 4.04 %

TD.PR.C FixedReset Quote: 26.46 – 26.75
Spot Rate : 0.2900
Average : 0.2220

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-03-02
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 26.46
Bid-YTW : 3.43 %

NA Announces Results of Extended Issuer Bid

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

National Bank has announced:

the expiry of the Bank’s offers to purchase (the “Offers”) all of the issued and outstanding Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset First Preferred Shares Series 21 (the “Preferred Shares Series 21”), all of the issued and outstanding Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset First Preferred Shares Series 24 (the “Preferred Shares Series 24”), and all of the issued and outstanding Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset First Preferred Shares Series 26 (the “Preferred Shares Series 26”, and together with the Preferred Shares Series 21 and the Preferred Shares Series 24, the “Preferred Shares”).

The Bank announced that all of the Preferred Shares validly deposited under the Offers and not withdrawn as of April 26, 2011 have been taken up and accepted for payment by the Bank. As a result, the Bank has taken up a total of 4,639,139 Preferred Shares Series 21, 4,374,120 Preferred Shares Series 24 and 4,075,165 Preferred Shares Series 26 under the Offers for an aggregate consideration of $361,208,775.14.

The Preferred Shares taken up under the Offers represent approximately (i) 57.63% of the outstanding Preferred Shares Series 21, (ii) 64.33% of the outstanding Preferred Shares Series 24, and (iii) 70.26% of the outstanding Preferred Shares Series 26.

The extension of the offer was reported on PrefBlog on April 12.

Series 21 is NA.PR.N; series 24 is NA.PR.O; and series 26 is NA.PR.P.

April 26, 2011

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

The market is anticipating European sovereign default:

Yields on government securities from Greece, Ireland and Portugal reached records amid speculation the heavily indebted nations won’t be able to avoid restructuring.

Ireland’s two-year yield reached a euro-era record 12.08 percent after the European Union said the nation’s debt burden surged the most in the currency area last year. Greek two-year yields have climbed almost 870 basis points this month, reaching 24.45 percent today as investors priced in losses, or so-called haircuts, they may incur in the event of a restructuring.

Portugal’s two-year note yields touched a euro-era record of 11.74 percent, up from 8.78 percent at the end of last month. The 10-year yield reached a record 9.61 percent today, compared with 8.41 percent on March 31.

Greece’s deficit was bigger than expected:

Greece’s chances of avoiding a debt-crunching exercise faded to almost nothing with the revelation that its budget deficit is going in the wrong direction in spite of robust efforts to reduce government spending.

The country’s budget deficit in 2010 was 10.5 per cent of gross domestic product, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency, reported on Tuesday. The figure was considerably bigger than Greek government’s own deficit target of 9.4 per cent and the European Commission’s estimate of 9.6 per cent.

DBRS confirmed BAM, but was careful to include some warnings:

Overall, DBRS still remains concerned with Brookfield’s aggressive expansion program and the possible impact it may have on its overall risk profile. Brookfield’s investments normally include real, low risk assets that generate steady cash flow. If there was a shift towards more speculative investments intended for shorter hold periods, the ratings could come under pressure. DBRS notes that the financial packaging of Brookfield’s investments within its portfolio can be complex. The transparency for this and intercompany transactions can be a challenge at times.

DBRS notes that while Brookfield’s corporate liquidity and cash flow has been reasonable, it is not sufficient to be a primary funding source for large new investments. In fact, the current size of corporate debt and preferred shares is approaching the limits for the current rating category. Thus far, concerns that sizable transactions could negatively affect the Company’s credit ratings have been mitigated with the used of co-investor capital and non-recourse debt. Even so, DBRS notes that the non-recourse debt at the operating levels is significant and that it has first claim on the related cash flows. It also presents some group refinancing risk.

Japan has joined S&P’s list of sovereigns with a negative outlook.

Apparently Obesity is expected to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. I can’t wait for the time when the do-gooders have had their way with this one! Outside every office tower and public place will be a long line of fatties scarfing down their french fries and pizza!

It was a mixed day on the Canadian preferred share market, with PerpetualDiscounts off 2bp, FixedResets losing 11bp and DeemedRetractibles up 5bp. Not much volatility. 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 0.0832 % 2,416.1
FixedFloater 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0832 % 3,633.8
Floater 2.49 % 2.26 % 35,244 21.63 4 0.0832 % 2,608.8
OpRet 4.92 % 3.24 % 57,112 2.05 8 0.0048 % 2,411.4
SplitShare 5.20 % -1.29 % 84,359 0.63 6 0.0866 % 2,496.9
Interest-Bearing 0.00 % 0.00 % 0 0.00 0 0.0048 % 2,205.0
Perpetual-Premium 5.80 % 5.70 % 116,474 6.12 8 -0.0348 % 2,049.8
Perpetual-Discount 5.58 % 5.56 % 133,237 14.39 16 -0.0173 % 2,121.0
FixedReset 5.18 % 3.51 % 204,830 2.91 57 -0.1110 % 2,290.0
Deemed-Retractible 5.28 % 5.22 % 295,180 8.11 53 0.0529 % 2,075.2
Performance Highlights
Issue Index Change Notes
IAG.PR.A Deemed-Retractible -1.52 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.38
Bid-YTW : 6.58 %
SLF.PR.G FixedReset -1.14 % YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.26
Bid-YTW : 4.08 %
Volume Highlights
Issue Index Shares
Traded
Notes
RY.PR.E Deemed-Retractible 281,290 Desjardins crossed 128,700 at 23.38, then another 130,000 at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.41
Bid-YTW : 5.27 %
CM.PR.P Deemed-Retractible 86,330 National Bank crossed 11,700 at 25.20; RBC crossed two blocks of 25,000 each and TD crossed 20,000, all at the same price.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2012-11-28
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.19
Bid-YTW : 4.98 %
CIU.PR.B FixedReset 85,250 RBC crossed 10,000 at 27.65; then another 75,000 at 27.74.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-01
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.66
Bid-YTW : 3.55 %
MFC.PR.D FixedReset 57,605 RBC crossed 49,200 at 27.50.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2014-07-19
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 27.49
Bid-YTW : 3.60 %
BAM.PR.B Floater 34,202 YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-26
Maturity Price : 19.00
Evaluated at bid price : 19.00
Bid-YTW : 2.78 %
BNS.PR.L Deemed-Retractible 33,004 TD crossed 20,000 at 23.90.
YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 23.90
Bid-YTW : 5.06 %
There were 34 other index-included issues trading in excess of 10,000 shares.
Wide Spread Highlights
Issue Index Quote Data and Yield Notes
BAM.PR.R FixedReset Quote: 25.65 – 26.34
Spot Rate : 0.6900
Average : 0.4409

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2021-07-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.65
Bid-YTW : 4.92 %

ELF.PR.F Deemed-Retractible Quote: 22.52 – 22.96
Spot Rate : 0.4400
Average : 0.3443

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 22.52
Bid-YTW : 6.67 %

MFC.PR.B Deemed-Retractible Quote: 21.16 – 21.43
Spot Rate : 0.2700
Average : 0.1859

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Hard Maturity
Maturity Date : 2022-01-31
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 21.16
Bid-YTW : 6.78 %

CU.PR.A Perpetual-Premium Quote: 25.16 – 25.34
Spot Rate : 0.1800
Average : 0.1123

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Limit Maturity
Maturity Date : 2041-04-26
Maturity Price : 24.92
Evaluated at bid price : 25.16
Bid-YTW : 5.85 %

TD.PR.Q Deemed-Retractible Quote: 25.65 – 25.85
Spot Rate : 0.2000
Average : 0.1400

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2017-03-02
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.65
Bid-YTW : 5.10 %

BAM.PR.H OpRet Quote: 25.28 – 25.54
Spot Rate : 0.2600
Average : 0.2009

YTW SCENARIO
Maturity Type : Call
Maturity Date : 2011-10-30
Maturity Price : 25.00
Evaluated at bid price : 25.28
Bid-YTW : 4.32 %

WFS.PR.A Annual Report 2010

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

World Financial Split Corp. has released its Annual Report to December 31, 2010.

WFS / WFS.PR.A Performance
Instrument One
Year
Three
Years
Five
Years
Whole Unit -7.70% -10.89% -6.53%
WFS -49.49% -42.44% -29.39%
WFS.PR.A +5.35% +5.35% +5.35%
MSCI World/Finance Index -0.23% -13.51% -8.75%

Figures of interest are:

MER: 1.51% of the whole unit value, excluding one time initial offering expenses.

Average Net Assets: We need this to calculate portfolio yield; unfortunately the number of units changesd, which makes it more approximate. The Total Assets of the fund at year end was $76.6-million, compared to $107.3-million a year prior, so call it an average of $92.0-million. Total Preferred Share Distribution in 2010 was $3.888-million, at $0.525/share implies an average of 7.41-million units, at an average NAV of ((11.57 + 13.11) / 2 = 12.34, so call it $91.4-million. Close enough! Call the Average Net Assets $92-million.

Underlying Portfolio Yield: Investment income (sum of interest, dividends and withholding taxes) of $1.964-million received divided by average net assets of $92-million is 2.13%.

Income Coverage: Net investment income of $1.964-million less expenses before issuance fees of $1.743-million is $0.221-million, to cover preferred dividends of 3.888-million is just under 6%.

WFS.PR.A was last mentioned on PrefBlog when a term extension proposal was announced.

WFS.PR.A: Term Extension Proposed

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Well, this wasn’t particularly hard to see coming, after the company’s warrant issue expired less than six months before dissolution! Mulvihill’s World Financial Split Corp. has announced:

its Board of Directors has approved a proposal to extend the term of the Fund for an additional seven years. The final redemption date for the Class A Shares and Preferred Shares of the Fund is currently June 30, 2011 and the Fund proposes to implement a reorganization (“Reorganization”) that will allow shareholders to retain their investment in the Fund until at least June 30, 2018.

In connection with the Reorganization, holders of Class A Shares will continue to benefit from the potential for leveraged capital appreciation in a high quality portfolio consisting principally of copmmon shares of the ten largest financial services companies in each of Canada, the United States of America and the rest of the world. If the Reorganization is approved and implemented, holders of Preferred Shares will continue to enjoy preferential quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.13125 per Preferred Share representing a yield of 5.25% per annum on the original issue price of $10.00 per Preferred Share.

As part of the Reorganization, the Fund is also proposing other changes including changing the monthly retraction prices for the Class A Shares and the Preferred Shares so that they are calculated by reference to market price in addition to NAV and changing the dates by which notice of monthly retractions needs to be provided and by which the retraction amount will be paid. The Fund will also allow for the calculation of a diluted NAV in the event the Fund should ever issue warrants or rights to acquire additional Class A Shares or Preferred Shares.

Mulvihill Capital Management Inc. the manager of the Fund (the “Manager”), believes the global financial services sector is poised for strong returns over the next several years after experiencing one of the worst financial crises in history over the 2007 – 2009 time period. Subsequently, regulatory oversight and capital requirements increased in order to reduce the risk of another crisis from happening. Despite a decline in 2010 due to the concerns regarding European Sovereign defaults, many of the companies within the Fund’s portfolio universe are well capitalized and are expected to return capital to shareholders in the form of increased dividends and share repurchases which the Manager believes should benefit share prices. The Manager also believes that the Reorganization will allow the Fund to increase in value as the global economy recovers and financial services companies around the world grow stronger.

If the Reorganization is approved and implemented, shareholders will be given a special retraction right to retract their Class A Shares or Preferred Shares at NAV on June 30, 2011 on the same terms had the final redemption date of the Fund not been extended. The redemption date of the shares will automatically be extended for successive seven-year terms after June 30, 2018 and shareholders will be able to retract their Class A Shares or Preferred Shares at NAV prior to any such extension.

A special meeting of holders of Class A Shares and Preferred Shares has been called and will be held on May 31, 2011 to consider and vote upon the proposal. Further details of the proposal will be outlined in an information circular to be prepared and delivered to holders of Class A Shares and Preferred Shares in connection with the special meeting. The Reorganization is also subject to all required regulatory approvals.

The warrants’ exercise price was $11.43 and the Whole Unit NAV is now about $11.47, so those who exercised their warrants have, basically, earned the coupon. The company raised $12.8-million on warrant exercise, implying that take-up was about 15%.

WFS.PR.A no longer has a credit rating, since DBRS withdrew the Pfd-4(low) rating last November at the request of the company.

I applaud Mulvihill for their conduct in making a special retraction right part of the reorganization package. Such a feature cost them considerable AUM when it became exercisable with the PIC / PIC.PR.A term extension. Granting of such a right should be automatic; but for as long as there are sponsors in the market with less sterling ethical standards, such as Manulife Asset Management (as shown in the ASC.PR.A term extension proposal) and such people remaining in the business as Paul Lorentz, Sheila Hart, Jennifer Mercanti and Warren Law (the directors of ASC, who approved the terms of the proposal and recommended that preferred shareholders vote in favour), I will give credit where credit is due.

The company’s prospectus specifies a NAV test for capital unit distributions:

No distributions will be paid on the Class A Shares if (i) the distributions payable on the Preferred Shares are in arrears; or (ii) after the payment of the distribution by the Company, the NAV per Unit would be less than $15.00. In addition, the Company will not pay special distributions, meaning distributions in excess of the targeted 8% distributions, on the Class A Shares if after payment of the distribution the NAV per Unit would be less than $23.50 unless the Company would need to make such distributions so as to fully recover refundable taxes.

Despite these good things I am recommending a No vote on the term extension. With an Asset Coverage ratio of only 1.1+:1, the credit quality of the preferreds is simply insufficient to accept a term extension.

If the reorganization is approved anyway, I recommend exercising the special retraction right, while cognizant of the fact that, as in the case of the PIC.PR.A term extension, it is entirely possible that there might be sufficient preferred shares retracted that, on consolidation of the capital units, credit quality is restored to more acceptable levels. We can’t count on that, though!

It is my hope that, through voting No, preferred shareholders will get some kind of sweetener in a revised proposal. Most obvious, and perhaps least likely (and perhaps, given the extraordinarly low level of income coverage at present values, least desirable), is an increase in coupon. However, if a revised reorganization proposal provided, for example, for the forced redemption of a large number of preferred shares and the subsequent consolidation of the corresponding capital units with the combined effect of restoring Asset Coverage to more traditional levels, I would be very happy to recommend a favourable vote.

James Hymas Opines on RRBs

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

John Heinzl has an article in the Globe & Mail of 2011-4-27 titled The case for, and against, real return bonds in which I am quoted:

James Hymas, president of Hymas Investment Management, said the low yields on RRBs suggest that some investors are worried about hyper-inflation. They would rather accept a tiny real yield than suffer a loss in purchasing power if inflation really heats up.

But he’s no fan of RRBs, either, partly because they’re less liquid than regular bonds but mainly because “they’re trying to do too many things at once. They’re trying to give you a fixed income and inflation protection, but they don’t perform either function particularly well.”

If investors want inflation protection, fixed-income portfolios are the wrong place to achieve it, he said. They should instead look to other asset classes, such as resource stocks, to counter the impact of inflation on their bonds, he said.