FICC Focus

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of municipal bonds, with predictive analytics, data-driven decision-making and automated portfolio management just some of the ways the technology is transforming public finance. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Masters of the Muniverse podcast, hosts Eric Kazatsky and Karen Altamirano take a break from discussing the nuts and bolts of asset management and instead focus on the bits and bytes of how technology is applied to the municipal landscape. Joining us this month is Issac Kuofrom Parametric Portfolio Associates. Issac is a portfolio manager, technologist and painfully shy scratch golfer.

Lenders must be “hyper-vigilant” at the whiff of a liability management exercise (LME), as cooperation agreements forged in response by the largest lenders often shut off membership once critical majorities are reached, according to Beach Point Capital’s senior vice president Jordan Sauer. Jordan shared with Bloomberg Intelligence’s Noel Hebert and Phil Brendel how his initial legal work at Wachtell Lipton with lender documentation served him well in identifying credit-agreement vulnerabilities and managing investments amid the jungle of LMEs and coop groups (6:20). Prior to that, BI’s Noel Hebert and Phil discussed the implications of a historically low high yield spread for credit investors. The podcast concludes with BI’s Negisa Balluku joining Noel and Phil for a roundtable discussion covering Franchise Group, Hertz, Yellow, Spirit Airlines, J&J, Incora, and CommScope (1:06:30).

With the US election having a clear result and credit markets enjoying a strong run this year, charting the course forward is a challenge. Will a Trump regime slow down Fed cuts and will the ECB continue on its previous easing course, and what will this mean for credit? Will stubborn US yields cause more divergence in credit until 1H25? In this episode of our Credit Crunch podcast, host Mahesh Bhimalingam, chief European credit strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence and James Turner, Co-Head of EMEA fundamental fixed income at Blackrock, discuss the state of credit and gaps across the US and Europe.

They tackle relative value across credit in different currencies; junk and high grade; fund flows and supply; defaults and ratings; fundamental and curve views. They also detail the impact of elections across the US, UK and Europe.

As expected, the Federal Reserve cut 25 bps in this election week, not a surprise, but Jerome Powell wasn’t as hawkish as might have been expected. Bloomberg Intelligence Chief US Interest-Rate Strategist Ira Jersey is joined by Senior Government Analyst Nathan Dean to discuss the implications of the recent election cycle for the US economy and Treasury markets. They discuss the current state of executive policy uncertainty, and potential outcomes of various campaign promises, though Dean doesn’t think the debt ceiling is going to be an issue for the next four years. They also touch on potential changes in tax policies, fiscal budgets, and financial regulations.

The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI’s FICC Focus series. 

The cyclically-driven bullish dollar narrative got another boost last week, with President-elect Donald Trump's expected pro-growth stance implying a policy mix weighted more to fiscal stimulus and less to monetary steps, which would help the dollar. It's also better positioned if Trump pursues tariffs. Host Audrey Childe-Freeman, Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief G-10 FX Strategist, talks to Dr Anna Wong, Bloomberg Economics Chief US Economist, about how the economy, the Fed rate outlook and the fiscal trajectory could affect our dollar outlook.

Anna and Audrey touch on how US fiscal woes could impact dollar views via a worsening fiscal premium, though the dollar's role as the global reserve currency won't be challenged any time soon.

Geopolitical risk remains elevated, yet financial stability doesn’t appear to be a cause for concern as market practitioners turn their attention to year-end. Dr. Jason Wu, IMF assistant director of Monetary & Capital Markets, and Dr. Fabio Natalucci, CEO of the Andersen Institute for Finance & Economics, join Damian Sassower, EM Lens podcast host and Bloomberg Intelligence chief emerging market fixed income strategist, to discuss the growth and inflation outlook for both advanced economies and emerging markets across the globe. Wu and Natalucci touch on issues ranging from central bank stimulus and US dollar debasement to term premia expansion and the evolution of private credit.

The EM Lens podcast is part of BI’s FICC Focus series.

Cash is not on the sidelines. An investment in a money market fund is an actual investment, says Robert Sabatino, head of Global Liquidity Portfolio Management at UBS Asset Management. Sabatino is joined by host and Bloomberg Intelligence’s chief US rate strategist Ira Jersey and senior US and Canada rate strategy associate Will Hoffman to discuss all things money markets. The trio examine shifts in the relationship between the Federal Reserve’s facilities and the money-fund industry, as well as how recent SEC regulatory changes have affected portfolio-management decisions. They also touch on drivers of volatility in the repo market, such as the growth of the Treasury market relative to intermediation capacity, as well as how money-fund assets may evolve as offering yields fall.

The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI’s FICC Focus series.

Investors have poured $13 billion into high-yield municipal bond funds in recent weeks, a move that underscores the need for credit analysis and active investing, says Alex Petrone, managing director and head of fixed income at Rockefeller Asset Management. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Masters of the Muniverse podcast, hosts Eric Kazatsky and Karen Altamirano talk with Petrone about using technology to assist in credit research in the highly fragmented muni market, how quickly fixed income asset management is changing and what 2025 may bring.

Reports of active management's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Active continues to grow and evolve in ETFs while mutual funds prosper and define benefit plans. Bloomberg Intelligence strategy team uncover active opportunities and glean insights from active managers and those who cover the industry. Listen to Inside Active by Bloomberg Intelligence.

By engaging across multiple sectors of the structured product markets, 400 Capital Management has the flexibility to independently deal with the unique cycles and phases of the various asset classes. Founder and Managing Partner Chris Hentemann joins Noel Hebert and Sam Geier of Bloomberg Intelligence on this episode of Credit Crunch to talk through the process of navigating through those cycles. The conversation touches upon asset class allocations, the risk-transfer market, joint venture benefits, the attraction of commercial real estate, and more. Credit Crunch is part of the FICC Focus podcast.