An ICD survey also shows steady and growing use of money market funds and higher interest in ESG products.Cash on corporate balance sheets reached a record in 2020, topping $2 trillion, as companies responded to economic uncertainty created by the pandemic. New data from money market fund portal ICD suggests that a majority of corporates do not plan to cut cash levels in the first half of 2021. 61% of the 150 treasury clients surveyed by ICD plan to maintain or…
February 25, 2021
Treasury’s Key Role in ServiceNow’s Commitment to Racial Equity
ServiceNow has turned to RBC to create a $100 million fund to support Black homebuyers and communities.ServiceNow in late January unveiled a $100 million “racial equity fund”—in the form of a separately managed account— that will be managed by RBC Global Asset Management’s impact investing team. In mid-February, during Black History Month, ServiceNow senior treasury director Tim Muindi, who played a leading role in the process, described the project to other NeuGroup members who work at high-growth tech firms. ServiceNow…
November 12, 2020
Navigating Prime Funds and Social Impact Investing
Key takeaways from the Treasury Investment Managers’ Peer Group 2 2020 second-half meeting, sponsored by DWS. By Joseph NeuReclaiming prime funds. Members are still skeptical of prime funds, yet they would not have been sorry had they kept their cash in them through the Covid crisis. Prime funds could be helped going forward by some tweaks to the money market reform regulations concerning gates and fees, plus a pickup in CP issuance next year. However, what prime funds may really need…
November 5, 2020
Data-Driven Decisions Aided by Dashboards and Scorecards
A NeuGroup member describes his money market fund dashboard and investment manager scorecards.Dynamic dashboards that help corporates leverage data to make better decisions are becoming essential tools for finance teams committed to tapping technology to transform. Some companies in the NeuGroup Network are generating envy by using in-house tech talent skilled in programs such as Python to create dashboards, while other members are turning to Power BI or Tableau to ramp up.But a recent meeting of treasury investment managers underscored that…
November 3, 2020
Walk Before You Run: Using Derivatives in Pension Funds
The value of educating stakeholders on why using derivatives can make sense.During a recent NeuGroup for Pension and Benefits session sponsored by Insight Investment and BNY Mellon, a pair of members shared their knowledge and experience using derivatives in managing corporate pension plans. Two highlights: “Walk before you run” emerged as a key piece of advice to members, most of whom do not make extensive use of derivatives.Educating stakeholders including finance committees, C-Suite executives and accountants on derivatives and their…
October 29, 2020
Nice Fit: A Matched Portfolio With a Hybrid Management Model
The benefits for one corporate of matching portfolio cash flows to debt payments and using internal and external managers.Matching assets and liabilities, a staple of pension fund managers, is central to how one NeuGroup member runs his technology company’s treasury investment portfolio—or at least a big chunk of it. At a recent NeuGroup meeting, the member explained the benefits of the matched portfolio strategy as well as the advantages of what the company calls a hybrid management model—using internal managers…
October 13, 2020
Hunting Yield: Investment Managers Weigh TIPS, Munis, Credit Risk
Treasury investment managers weigh options for finding returns in a low-rate environment.Treasury investment managers looking to boost returns in the current low interest-rate environment discussed a range of options at a recent NeuGroup meeting sponsored by Morgan Stanley, including Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) and municipal bonds. “We’re looking for alternative investment ideas to get attractive yield,” one member said. Her company is looking to return to investing overseas cash in low volatility net asset value (LVNAV) money market funds, an…
RBC’s customized investments help corporates reach specific groups and areas. Increased attention on persistent racial disparities in wealth, income and home ownership in minority communities is motivating many corporates to look for new ways to make a difference through investments and deposits. At a recent Visual Interactive Session, one NeuGroup member described the benefits of impact investing using a tailored and targeted approach offered by RBC Access Capital, part of RBC Global Asset Management. “With the RBC team, we were able to develop…
September 17, 2020
Weighing Reward vs. Risk, Cash Investors Make Moves or Hunker Down
Some take advantage of opportunities to pick up yield; others play it safer and stick to government money funds.The Covid crisis has illuminated where corporate cash investors sit on the risk tolerance spectrum—a point underscored in a Virtual Interactive Session sponsored by ICD this week that gave some NeuGroup members a clearer picture of where they stand relative to their peers.Career risk vs. opportunity for yield. Hearing what some peers have done “reinforces how conservative we really are,” said one…
Rock-bottom rates have pushed retail money funds to waive fees, and institutional funds may be next.The Wall Street Journal this week gave prominent play to a story headlined “Money Funds Waive Charges to Keep Yields From Falling Below Zero.” That piqued our interest. Money market funds (MMFs) are a staple of many treasury investment managers and an important product for many of the banks that help corporates manage short-term cash.MMF yields have plummeted. Seven-day net yields for the average money…