Oil
Re-Bloodies the "Smart Money" in "Liquidity Death Spiral" - (www.wolfstreet.com) Moody’s is
ringing alarm bells over a wave of defaults among US oil and gas companies:
“The energy price slide continues to create operating and liquidity pressures
for the oil and gas sector, which contributed to seven of the 15 defaults
recorded and accounts for a large share of companies with low ratings and weak
liquidity.” And it expected the energy sector “to be a primary driver of
defaults over the next year.” Banks are going to reassess their energy loans
this October, a twice-a-year ritual. These loans are backed by oil and gas
reserves. When prices plunge, the value of the collateral plunges in parallel.
Banks, under increasing pressure from regulators to get a handle on this, are
going to slash these credit lines. And even more liquidity will drain out of
the sector. This coincides with the expiration of the hedges that have
protected so far a portion of these companies’ revenues, but won’t do so going
forward. “Liquidity death spiral,” is what S&P Capital IQ called this phenomenon. Linn Energy LLC saw its shares (units,
actually) plunge 50% over the last three trading days, including 19% on Monday,
to $3.28, down 90% from their 52-week high last September, following
revelations on Thursday of a big fat net loss of $379 million in the quarter,
as revenues had plunged 46%. To stay liquid a while longer, Linn said it would
eliminate its monthly income distribution (similar to dividends). But at least
it hasn’t defaulted on its debt yet, and its bonds, which had been brutalized,
actually rose after the announcement.
J.P. Morgan Loosens Terms for Jumbo Mortgages - (online.wsj.com) J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is loosening its underwriting
criteria for big mortgages, as lenders ramp up competition to grab a bigger
share of the high-end housing market. The nation’s largest bank by assets plans
to announce Wednesday that it is lowering the minimum credit score and down
payment it requires for mortgages as big as $3 million. The New York firm’s
moves follow similar steps at Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and other banks on requirements
for “jumbo” mortgages—those that exceed $417,000 in most parts of the country
or $625,500 in pricier markets. At the same time, some big banks are backing away
from smaller loans where they see higher regulatory costs and litigation risks.
Puerto Rico Has Another Debt Worry on Horizon - (www.nytimes.com) While
Puerto Rico’s first bond default in its history reverberated through the
financial markets on Tuesday, another move by the cash-poor island may provide
a clue to where the next trouble spot lies. After openly acknowledging on
Monday afternoon that it had not made a $58 million bond payment, the
government quietly disclosed in a financial filing later that afternoon that it
had temporarily stopped making contributions of $92 million a month into a fund
that is used to make payments on an additional $13 billion in bond debt. A
small payment from the fund is due on Sept. 1. Unlike the bond payments that
went into default on Monday, the ones coming due are on general obligation
bonds — the kind many investors have been led to believe would never go into
default because the issuer’s full faith, credit and taxing authority stand
behind them. Puerto Rico issued such bonds over the years to raise money for a
variety of government projects, and investors bought them eagerly because the island’s
constitution explicitly guaranteed that such bonds would be paid.
Chinese
Brokers Halt Short Selling as Regulators Tighten Rules - (www.bloomberg.com) Some Chinese brokerages have halted their
short-selling businesses after the nation’s regulators tightened rules to
freeze out day traders in a fresh bid to arrest a stock-market plunge. Citic
Securities Co., China’s largest brokerage by revenue, is among firms that
temporarily stopped short selling by clients after the Shanghai and Shenzhen
exchanges unveiled a new measure requiring
investors who borrow shares to wait one day to repay the loans. Short selling
was suspended to facilitate the adoption of the rule and will resume once the
system has adjusted, Citic said in a statement Tuesday. Huatai Securities Co., Guosen
Securities Co. and Great Wall Securities Co. also said they have suspended the
practice.
Russia’s
Energy Giant Implodes - (www.wolfstreet.com) It was not too long ago that Gazprom, the
state-controlled energy conglomerate, was one of the Kremlin’s most potent
geopolitical weapons. But those days now seem like a distant memory: Gazprom is
a financial shadow of its former self. The speed of Gazprom’s decline is
breathtaking. At its peak in May 2008, the company’s market capitalization reached $367.27 billion, making it one of world’s most valuable
companies, according to a survey compiled by the Financial Times. Gazprom’s
deputy chair, Alexander Medvedev, repeatedly predicted at the time that within a decade the
Russian energy giant could be worth $1 trillion. That prediction now seem
foolhardy. Since 2008, Gazprom’s value has plummeted. As of August 3, it had a
market capitalization of $51.12 billion. A little over four years ago, in April
2011, the figure stood at $194.5 billion. No company among the planet’s Top
5,000 has suffered a bigger collapse in market capitalization, according to Bloomberg Business News.
Commodities Are Crashing Like It's 2008 All Over Again - (www.bloomberg.com)
Trade Gap Widened in June, Showing Effect of Strong U.S. Dollar - (www.bloomberg.com)
ADP Says Companies in U.S. Took on 185,000 Workers in July - (www.bloomberg.com)
Fed not yet decided whether to hike rates in September: Powell - (www.reuters.com)
IMF staff urges no rush to add China yuan to currency basket - (www.reuters.com)
Greece needs wide debt relief to avoid permanent depression, think tank warns - (www.theguardian.com)
Will US equities follow junk bonds down? - (www.ft.com)
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