Negative swap spreads hit bank capital buffers

Portfolios of asset-swapped US Treasuries see mark-to-market losses of up to 20bp

lonely-lost
Swap spread inversion has hit bank buffers

Negative swap spreads have taken a bite out of banks' capital buffers, with summer moves by European firms to invest in US dollar-denominated assets compounding the pain for some.

"Swap spreads have now become negative, so asset swaps at intermediate maturity are now trading at a Libor-positive spread, so that implies if you bought asset swaps a year ago, right now you are under water," says a senior rates trader at a European bank in New York.

Banks in the US and increasingly Europe hold US

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here