Getting up to speed

I haven’t blogged for a while, so I thought we’d catch up on some things written about over the past year or so.

First, bonds in general. LINK. There is no doubt that corporate debt has been the asset star of the last year or so. While stocks have made their way back and are closing on their high-water marks, most bond portfolios and funds are hitting new highs.

The category is still very much in favor and there is some value still to be found. Don’t get too greedy and you’ll be ok. There are a lot of new issues coming to market both in the developed and emerging markets, so there is quite a bit to choose from. The big gains are over now, its coupon-clipping time.

As for more specific issues, our friend Borat must be happy. LINK. Kazakstan’s sovereign risk is now lower than many Eurozone countries. Not only Greece (duh), but Hungary , Portugal and almost Spain. The fact that Kazakh debt trades better than California’s was widely remarked in the press. LINK.

In Ukraine, things have calmed down. Elections were held in January/February and the pro-Russian candidate Victor Yankovych won a close second-round victory over Yulia Tymoshenko, despite her good looks. LINK. And so the “Orange Revolution” was reversed. Tension between Russia and Ukraine which contributed to the “gas war” between Gazprom and Naftogaz has come down dramatically and there are even talks of joint ventures. LINK. Russia has agreed to give Ukraine a price break on the gas it consumes, while Ukraine will extend Russia’s lease on its Black Sea Naval ports. LINK.
Naftogaz bonds, which defaulted briefly in October (swapped for new issue- LINK) are now trading at 108%. I remember an analyst stating that he “wouldn’t be surprised if the new Naftogaz bonds were trading above par in less than a year”. Oh wait, that was ME.
Isn’t it nice when neighbors get along?

As for corporate issuers: AIG and its subsidiaries are still current with their bonds all of which have rallied sharply. LINK. LINK. LINK. An important “turning point” was reached when airplane-leasing subsidiary ILFC returned to the bond market, thereby reducing the refinancing risk of its outstanding bonds. LINK.

Herrtz quietly dropped the suit against an analyst who had named the company as a possible bankruptcy candidate. They figured out it would only get them bad publicity. Took them a couple of months to figure that out. LINK.

Despite my skepticism, Kodak’s bonds and stock have rallied, as the company raises cash selling or licensing some patents and is trying to raise more by suing the likes of Apple and Research in Motion. I could have held on…oh well. LINK. LINK.

The price of Gold has stagnated, ruining a speculative gold trade I had set up, Sometimes investors DON”T go bananas. Especially when you expect them to. LINK.

Venezuelan bonds have rallied of late, but still yield much more than their credit rating would suggest. What good are the numbers if you can’t believe them? LINK.
Analysts are looking at a $1.5 billion bond maturity in August, as Central Bank reserves drop.

Blockbuster and Netflix continue their lopsided battle. The Hollywood studios have realized that Blockbuster’s survival is in their best interest. How much they will help keep Blockbuster away from bankruptcy remains to be seen. Anyway, the four trades proposed back in February are winners at this point. LINK. LINK.

Now that we’re up to date on these trailing issues, maybe we can move forward and I can get around to blogging more consistently.