Capital MarketsESG
November 10, 2021

Extra Credit: Energy Companies Issuing Debt from Green Subsidiaries

Bonds issued by energy company transition business units are preferred by debt investors who screen for green.Bonds issued by entities within energy companies that are focused on low- or no carbon emission projects and technology are far more likely to appeal to some asset managers than debt issued by the holding company. That takeaway emerged at a recent meeting of NeuGroup for Oil & Gas Treasury sponsored by Societe Generale during a session that featured two debt investors, one representing…
Capital MarketsESG
November 3, 2021

Drilling for Clarity on How ESG Factors Influence Credit Ratings

Oil and gas sector analysts are scrambling to explain to energy companies the link between ESG scores and credit risk.The momentum behind ESG mandates and the conviction that companies committed to sustainability represent better investment risks have put pressure on ratings agencies to reconcile traditional credit ratings with ESG scores. This reconciliation has become more challenging as the agencies themselves begin to offer ESG scores or ratings as well as sustainability assessments. One approach is to explain in more detail…
Capital MarketsTalking Shop
September 30, 2021

Talking Shop: How Long Is Your 10b5-1 Buyback Cooling-Off Period?

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]. Member question: “We have stringent guidelines for establishing 10b5-1 plans: A cooling-off period of 30 days between executing a 10b5-1 plan and the first trade under the plan. “The program should generally be no shorter than six months in duration and must not be ‘front-loaded’ (i.e., relatively even purchases over five months).“We’re…
Capital MarketsTechnology
September 23, 2021

The Sun Sets for Some on Easy, Shared Access to Bloomberg Terminals

Adjusting to the end of Terminal access via Bloomberg Disaster Recovery amid hybrid work. Many treasury and finance teams that relied on Bloomberg’s Disaster Recovery (DR) services to share access to the company’s powerful Terminals are adapting to the end of their access. It’s a challenge for some teams, given that many employees will continue to work from home part of the week and won’t have access to Terminals in offices.That’s leading more companies to consider replacing physical Terminals with…
Capital MarketsCompliance
September 23, 2021

Caution at the 10b5-1 Intersection: Buyback Plans and Insider Sales

Companies using 10b5-1 plans for buybacks should keep informed about possible SEC rule changes aimed at executive stock sales.The treasurer of a mega-cap tech company told peers at a recent NeuGroup meeting that he’s been hearing more “noise with regards to the SEC tightening up controls around repurchase windows” from the company’s legal team. He added, “We’re going to keep a close eye on it. We may tighten up our rules.” The very same day—Sept. 9—SEC Chairman Gary Gensler thanked…
Capital MarketsCash InvestmentsCrypto
September 9, 2021

Hunting for Yield With Crypto-based Lending Amid Regulatory Fog

Corporates seeking better returns on cash by lending crypto weigh falling rates and regulatory uncertainty.News this week that the SEC is investigating Coinbase Global over a lending program and may sue the company could have a chilling effect on corporates that were considering buying and then lending cryptocurrency to pick up yield. But the fact remains that corporate treasuries have been challenged for years to find investments in which to park cash that provide attractive, positive returns.And a small but increasing…
Capital MarketsD&IESG
August 5, 2021

A Pioneer Plugs Into Energy Sector Sustainability-Linked Financing

Enbridge, the pipeline operator, is the first midstream firm in North America to do sustainability-linked financing. Presenting to members of NeuGroup for Oil & Gas Treasury (sponsored by Societe Generale), Sheldon Bueckert, director of treasury at Enbridge, shared his experience helping lead the company’s sustainability-linked bond (SLB) and loan financings, a first for a midstream firm in North America. The session focused on a SLB that Enbridge issued in late June.Key SLB details. On June 23, 2021, Enbridge hosted 131 investors…
BankingCapital MarketsFX
July 22, 2021

Ripple Effects: Gauging Inflation’s Impact on US Rates and Economy

Despite increasing inflation, interest rates should remain low until late 2023, UMB bank tells assistant treasurers. Economic growth turned negative at the start of the pandemic but is rebounding strongly as the United States advances through what some call the Great Rotation—major changes that Eric Kelley, executive VP and director of research and fixed income for UMB Bank, said should result in a strong reopening over the next 12 to 24 months. UMB Bank is a large regional bank serving mainly…
Capital MarketsESG
July 15, 2021

Taking Smaller ESG Steps, Bypassing the Green Bond Road (for Now)

Options in the ESG financing field range from CP to credit facilities, money-market funds and time deposits. Not quite ready to issue ESG bonds? Nearly half the assistant treasurers (ATs) in the projects and priorities session of a recent meeting of NeuGroup for Large-Cap Assistant Treasurers cited ESG as a top priority. However, most said their companies were not quite ready to issue an ESG-based bond and expressed interest in various ESG alternatives. Issuing an ESG bond requires significant legwork and…
Capital MarketsRisk Management
June 17, 2021

How to Float the Interest Rate Boat When Fixed Rates Are So Low

Treasury teams making the case for floating-rate debt see commercial paper as a flexible tool to gain exposure. One of corporate treasury’s perennial challenges is determining the best ratio of fixed- to floating-rate debt, and that conundrum has been heightened by factors including record low interest rates and the significant debt companies took on last year. An assistant treasurer in a recent NeuGroup Assistant Treasurers’ Leadership Group (ATLG) meeting noted that efficient-frontier analysis suggests companies should hold a minimum 30% to…