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Antony Michels

Capital MarketsFXTechnology
April 2, 2020

Using Bloomberg for “Nuisance” Trades

Avoiding the time-intensive process of requesting trades in a centralized structure, local cash managers speed the process with online access to Bloomberg. During a recent NeuGroup virtual meeting of FX managers, one member said he has started to use Bloomberg for local affiliates’ “nuisance trades.” These are foreign currency-denominated accounts payable under a certain USD-equivalent threshold. Local freedom. The member noted his company’s corporate treasury manages FX worldwide, so they were happy to find that local cash managers are able…
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BankingTechnologyTreasury Management
April 2, 2020

Supply Chain Finance Not Immune from Pandemic Pain Felt by Banks

Higher funding costs for banks amid COVID-19 mean wider spreads in SCF market.  An assistant treasurer at a major consumer goods company learned from supply-chain-finance (SCF) vendors that banks financing SCF assets have asked for wider spreads to compensate for their own higher funding costs, at least temporarily. The banks had agreed to a fixed spread that was still attractive in early March but, in the midst of the coronavirus economic meltdown, is much less so today. “It isn’t as…
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Capital MarketsRisk Management
March 31, 2020

Lock It Up: What You Need to Know About Pre-Issuance Hedging

The pros and cons of treasury locks and forward-starting swaps as bond issuance jumps. The crush of investment-grade issuers rushing to sell bonds as COVID-19 wreaks economic havoc has made pre-issuance hedging a relatively hot topic for many treasury teams. Chatham Financial, sponsor of NeuGroup’s Virtual FX Summit, helped members get a firmer grip on the various ways to manage interest rate risk—and the associated accounting implications—during the summit and a subsequent Zoom meeting. Here are some of the key…
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Capital MarketsFX
March 31, 2020

Go with the Flow: How Treasury Is Adapting to Churning Markets

Flexibility and resourcefulness are critical as treasury teams cope with fallout from COVID-19. Assistant treasurers at a virtual NeuGroup meeting last week exchanged numerous examples of resourcefulness and flexibility in coping with the effects of the pandemic on FX trading, capital markets and other areas of responsibility. Here are some top takeaways: Time for algos. One AT saidspot trading in the FXmarket became “ridiculous” as liquidity vanished and spreads widened, making it difficult to close out small spot trades. That…
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BankingCash & Working Capital
March 26, 2020

Listen Up: A Banker’s Reality Check for Corporates Tapping Credit Lines

Societe Generale offers insights on bank pricing and priorities as companies seek cash safety. Companies determined to bolster their balance sheets by tapping revolvers or looking for loans, take heed: Bankers will view some drawdowns and requests much more favorably than others, and it pays to understand the bank’s perspective. That insight and others emerged during comments by Guido van Hauwermeiren, Societe Generale’s head of coverage and investment banking in the Americas. He spoke this week during NeuGroup’s Assistant Treasurers’…
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Senior ExecutiveTreasury Management
March 26, 2020

DIY: Forming Mentoring Circles That Lead to Sponsorship

More takeaways from the Women in NeuGroup meeting featuring three senior executives at one company. The Women in NeuGroup (WiNG) virtual meeting held last week highlighted the use of mentoring circles as a building block for sponsorship—where someone senior to you in the company advocates for your advancement. Our first story described how the process works at one major American multinational, as described by three senior executives. Below are more takeaways from the meeting as distilled by Anne Friberg, senior…
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Capital MarketsCash & Working Capital
March 26, 2020

Beyond Revolvers: What NeuGroup Members are Talking About Now

More of Joseph Neu’s takeaways from virtual meetings dominated by talk of cash and liquidity. The waterfall of insights cascading from NeuGroup’s virtual meetings this month requires expert judgment on wringing out and distilling what matters most. One expert is NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu, who on Tuesday offered his take on tapping credit lines. Here are some of his other takeaways: Converts as an option. Industrial companies said they are looking at the convertible debt market as a financing…
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Capital MarketsCOVID-19
March 24, 2020

Bonds in the Time of COVID-19: Timing Is Everything

Treasury teams need to be prepared to pounce as investor sentiment shifts wildly in capital markets. Be prepared so you can be nimble. That’s the advice from a treasurer whose company pounced when investor sentiment in the investment grade corporate bond market allowed nine corporates to issue $25 billion in debt on one day this month before the window slammed shut again amid COVID-19 fear. “You have to take what the market gives you and respond to the environment around…
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BankingCapital Markets
March 24, 2020

Little or No Pushback Has Corporates Drawing on Credit Lines—At What Cost?

Founder’s Edition by Joseph Neu Insights on the reasons to tap revolvers and what the trend may mean for banks and treasury. One clear insight emerging during our first several NeuGroup virtual meetings as the COVID-19 crisis escalates is that corporates are taking a slew of steps to bolster their liquidity positions. Among the most notable: All but the most stellar credits are drawing on revolving credit facilities (RCFs), a move that has potentially profound implications for banks. As Reuters…
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NeuGroup News
March 23, 2020

NeuGroup: A First Responder for Treasury and Finance Leaders

Covid-19 crisis sharing and learning continues to ramp up in response to member needs. Since March 10, when we converted our FX Managers’ Peer Group Summit (sponsored by Chatham Financial) to a Zoom meeting, NeuGroup has conducted eight virtual meetings on Zoom—some pre-planned and others scheduled in response to the severe nature of the COVID-19 crisis—with members of these groups: FX Managers’ Peer Groups 1 & 2Women in NeuGroup Treasurers’ Group of Mega-CapsLife Sciences Treasurers’ Peer GroupTreasurers’ Group of ThirtyTech20…
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