By: GZ on Mercoledì 11 Luglio 2007 14:57
L'iTraxx Crossover che è un indice dei derivati sul credito delle società europee con più emissioni è salito ieri di 33 mila euro da 260 mila un +12% in un giorno sul costo dell'assicurazione del debito, il balzo maggiore dal 2004
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Bond Risk Soars Most in Three Years on Subprime Debt Downgrades
By Hamish Risk
July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Corporate bond risk soared in Europe by the most in at least three years as debt rating downgrades on U.S. subprime securities triggered a worldwide selloff, according to traders of credit-default swaps.
Contracts on 10 million euros ($13 million) of debt sold by 50 companies from Italian automaker Fiat SpA to betting group Ladbrokes Plc in London jumped as much as 33,000 euros to 299,000 euros, according to prices on the iTraxx Crossover Series 7 Index from Deutsche Bank AG. The increase is the biggest on any day since the index started in 2004.
Moody's Investors Service cut ratings on $5.2 billion of subprime-related debt yesterday and Standard & Poor's said it's preparing to downgrade $12 billion of mortgage bonds, citing a deepening housing slump. Investors in collateralized debt obligations that pool the securities are likely to lose $52 billion, according to Credit Suisse Group in Zurich, while Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt estimates as much as $90 billion.
``More pain will come,'' said Willem Sels, head of credit strategy at Dresdner Kleinwort in London. ``There are signs its spreading to emerging markets, equities and the yen.''
European stocks dropped for a second day and Asian shares fell for the first time in three days. Investors seeking less risky assets sent benchmark 10-year Treasury notes and German bunds higher for a third day and Japanese government bonds rose the most in more than 10 months.
`Subprimemania'
Credit-default swaps are used to speculate on the ability of companies to repay debt and an increase indicates worsening perceptions of credit quality. The Crossover index may rise as high as 400,000 euros because of ``subprimemania,'' as well as concern about falling corporate earnings and rising oil prices, Jochen Felsenheimer, head of credit strategy at Italy's biggest bank Unicredit Group, said in a note to investors today.
``The goldilocks scenario for credit markets is definitely over,'' Munich-based Felsenheimer said. ``These rating actions, the biggest ever in the subprime market, have the potential to trigger an even more substantial move in credit markets.''
The credit quality of subprime mortgage bonds fell to a record yesterday in New York. The ABX-HE-BBB- 07-1 index that tracks securities rated BBB- fell 7.4 percent to 51.42, according to London-based Markit Group Ltd., the index administrator. The index has declined by almost half since January, reflecting the increased likelihood of default on the underlying securities, which have the lowest investment-grade ratings.