Capital MarketsRisk Management
November 16, 2023

Natural, Synthetic, Go Now, Not Yet: Exposure to Floating Rates

Corporates weigh when to swap fixed-rate debt to floating as inflation cools and the rate outlook shifts. Growing conviction that the Federal Reserve is at the end of its interest rate hike cycle and may cut rates next year has turned up the heat on the simmering issue of whether and when corporates with debt should swap some of their fixed-rate exposure to floating rates. Many companies in the NeuGroup Network say nearly all their debt is fixed—a byproduct of very low…
Senior ExecutiveThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
November 16, 2023

Dealing with ‘Derailers’ in Board Presentations: Tips from a Pro

A former CFO of Merck offers tips for treasurers to stay on track if board directors lob off-topic questions. When Peter Kellogg was CFO of Merck during the 2008 financial crisis, the greatest challenge he faced during board presentations came when directors peppered him with questions based on what they had read, seen or heard in the media or elsewhere. This is one example of what he calls “derailers”—questions about subjects that don’t affect the company directly, are not relevant to the…
Capital Markets
November 8, 2023

PE Firms’ Hunt for IG Assets May Feed Corporates Seeking Capital

Deutsche Bank on what corporates need to know when Apollo and other PE firms that own life insurers come calling. Private equity (PE) firms that control the balance sheets of insurance companies are actively seeking investment-grade (IG) assets, a trend that’s unlocking a flexible and customizable source of alternative capital for some corporates—including those that considered PE firms largely irrelevant to them except in cases of outright asset sales. “This is a now a new option in the toolkit that…
CryptoTechnology
November 8, 2023

Closing the Gap: Corporates Step Toward Digital Assets

NeuGroup Peer Research digs into how all treasuries can catch up to digital assets leaders. NeuGroup’s newest survey, Digital Assets: Current and Future Use Cases, reveals that while many treasury teams have yet to launch blockchain projects and adopt the use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, there’s a growing core of early adopters who can provide peers with ideas and methodologies for stepping up their engagement. Members of NeuGroup for Digital Assets are blazing a path for corporates, creating real-world use cases for…
Risk ManagementTalking Shop
November 8, 2023

Talking Shop: Bloomberg Usage Fees for IBOR Fallback Rates

Editor’s note: NeuGroup’s online communities provide members a forum to pose questions and give answers. Talking Shop shares valuable insights from these exchanges, anonymously. Send us your responses: [email protected]. Context: For some corporates, the transition from the London interbank offered rate (Libor) to risk-free reference rates—such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)—included the decision to adopt so-called fallback language in existing derivative contracts covered by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). During the yearslong process, ISDA created the IBOR Fallbacks Supplement to…
FXRegional
November 2, 2023

Currency Headache in Argentina: Chilling Effects of FX Controls

A new regulation makes some blue-chip swaps, used to move trapped cash out of the country, less attractive. In the run-up to Argentina’s Oct. 22 general elections, the government body that regulates markets issued an official bulletin that has effectively limited outflows of Argentine pesos (ARS). In recent NeuGroup meetings, corporates and regional experts said the regulation increased the perceived legal risk of blue-chip swaps, a type of international asset trade where a multinational in Argentina typically uses local currency to buy sovereign…
TechnologyThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
November 2, 2023

A Chatham Financial Star Says Clients Are the Stars of the Show

Chatham managing partner Amol Dhargalkar describes his personal journey and his vision of the future of finance. This episode of NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab podcast stars Amol Dhargalkar, the managing partner, board chairman and global head of the corporates sector at Chatham Financial—the risk advisory firm where he has spent more than two decades, his entire working career. You can hear his interview with NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu now on Apple and Spotify. Chatham helps corporations develop strategies to hedge their exposures to foreign exchange, interest rates…
FXTalking Shop
November 2, 2023

Talking Shop: The Pros and Cons for FX of More Frequent Netting

Editor’s note: NeuGroup’s online communities provide members a forum to pose questions and give answers. Talking Shop shares valuable insights from these exchanges, anonymously. Send us your responses: [email protected]. Context: The gross magnitude of inter- and intracompany payables and receivables at multinational companies has made intercompany netting processes essential for efficient global cash operations. With proper setup, an effective netting program will reduce foreign exchange and payment costs, simplify transaction and reconciliation processes and optimize cash concentration. Similarly, the practice of centralizing the buying…
TechnologyThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
October 25, 2023

Making Strategic Finance Decisions Built on Data and Integration

Chatham Financial’s Amol Dhargalkar sees forward-looking treasury teams driving a future of data analysis woven into strategic decisions. In a NeuGroup Insights video you can watch by hitting the play button below, Chatham Financial managing partner and board chairman Amol Dhargalkar shares with NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu a vision of the future for treasury and financial risk management built on data and integration. He gives two real-life examples that make his points concrete, clear and compelling. Mr. Dhargalkar foresees advanced technology allowing finance teams…
Cash & Working CapitalTechnology
October 25, 2023

Liquidity and Capital Structure Top Treasury’s 2024 Priorities

NeuGroup’s Treasury and Finance Agenda Survey also shows more emphasis and urgency on digital transformation. The biggest risk facing companies next year is an economic downturn, according to preliminary results of NeuGroup’s 2024 Treasury and Finance Agenda Survey. At the same time, 57% of respondents predict interest rates will remain high or even go higher. The result is that treasury teams placed liquidity and capital structure optimization at the top of their objectives for the coming year (see ranking below).…