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Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs)

On May 15, 2020, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued a Regulatory Notice (“Oil-Linked Exchange-Traded Products”), which highlighted the fact that Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs), which provide different types of exposure to the oil market through several product structures, might not be understood by investors or investment professionals and that the performance of such products […]

FINRA’s Investor Protection Initiatives for Senior Investors

On April 30, 2020, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued an a report (“Protecting Senior Investors 2015-2020, An Update on the FINRA Securities Helpline for Seniors, Other FINRA Initiatives and Member Firm Practices”), which highlighted the fact that seniors, who “make up an increasingly large share of the American population and hold higher levels […]

REITs come under selling pressure, losses to mount

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) that purchase mortgage-backed securities are playing a prominent role in the current market turmoil, dumping their holdings in response to margin calls by their banks. The mortgage Reits entered the coronavirus crisis owning an estimated $500bn of bonds backed by property loans and have come under pressure because they use […]

Junk Bonds Face Wave of Defaults and Investor Losses

As the Wall Street Journal noted this morning (‘Investors, Fearing Defaults, Rush Out of Junk Bonds’), “the specter of widespread corporate defaults in the coming months has caused a massive selloff in junk bonds around the world, as many debt-laden companies face the prospect of going weeks or months with virtually no revenue.” In fact, […]

H2O bond funds lose 50% of their asset value

H2O Asset Management’s bond funds have lost nearly half their value in a matter of weeks, after the London-based fund manager experienced another day of severe losses on Thursday. H2O, a subsidiary of French bank Natixis that managed about €30bn of assets at the start of the year, has emerged as one of Europe’s highest-profile […]