CAM High Yield Weekly Insights
Fund Flows & Issuance: According to a Wells Fargo report, flows week to date were $0.4 billion and year to date flows stand at -$7.6 billion. New issuance for the week was $8.0 billion and year to date HY is at $204 billion.
(Oil and Gas Journal) US rig count drops for sixth time in 8 weeks
- Baker Hughes’ overall tally of active rigs in the US edged down a unit to 935, down 23 units since a peak of the drilling rebound on July 28. The count is still up 531 units from a modern-day bottom in Baker Hughes data during the weeks ended May 20-27, 2016.
- US oil-directed rigs dropped by 5 to 744, down 22 units since Aug. 11 and up 428 units since May 27, 2016. That loss was mostly offset by a 4-unit gain in gas-directed rigs to 190, their second-highest total since 2015. The highest occurred on July 28. One rig considered unclassified remains drilling.
- Two onshore rigs went offline, with rigs engaged in horizontal drilling losing 5 units to 790, down 20 units since July 28 and up 476 since May 27, 2016. Rigs drilling directionally increased 3 units to 77.
- The count of rigs drilling in inland waters dropped by 1 to 3. Two rigs started work offshore Louisiana, bringing the overall US offshore count to 19.
- The offshore gain propelled Louisiana to No. 1 among the major oil- and gas-producing states in increases. Up 3 units this week, Louisiana now has 65 rigs working.
(Bloomberg) Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Increase More Than Forecast
- Home prices in 20 U.S. cities climbed more than forecast in July, reflecting solid demand against a backdrop of modest listings of properties, figures from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller showed Tuesday.
- Buyers are competing for a limited number of for-sale homes, allowing sellers to boost asking prices. Property values are consistently outpacing wage growth, helping explain why the share of first-time buyers of previously owned homes in August was at a one-year low. At the same time, owners’ equity as a share of total real-estate holdings climbed in the second quarter to the highest level in 11 years.
- Home prices may also get a boost in coming months after hurricanes Harvey and Irma reduced housing supply in parts of Texas and Florida. Affordability may remain challenging, as both sales and construction are interrupted by clean-up efforts. At the same time, a strong labor market and low-borrowing costs continue to encourage hopeful homebuyers.
- While home prices continued to advance strongly along the northwest part of the country, values were also picking up in Denver, Dallas and Las Vegas — underscoring a broadening of appreciation throughout the U.S. Las Vegas, one of the hardest-hit cities during the housing collapse, registered the third-largest year-over-year advance in July.
- “While the gains in home prices in recent months have been in the Pacific Northwest, the leadership continues to shift among regions and cities across the country,” David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P index committee, said in a statement. “Rebuilding following hurricanes across Texas, Florida and other parts of the south will lead to further supply pressures.”
(Modern Healthcare) Senate Republicans pull plug for now on repeal bill
- There will be no Senate vote this week on the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Senate GOP leaders announced Tuesday.
- That reportedly was a joint decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the bill’s two chief sponsors, South Carolina’s Lindsay Graham and Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy. They pulled the bill because they lacked enough votes to pass it.
- “We haven’t given up on changing the healthcare system, we just can’t do it this week,” McConnell said at a news conference with Graham, Cassidy and two of the bill’s other co-sponsors. Senate Republicans now will take up a tax reform bill, with markups next week, he added.
- “I hope Republican leaders will let us get back to work on lowering premiums and stabilizing the marketplace,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the senior Democrat on the Senate health committee, said at a news conference Tuesday. “I’m ready to go.”
(Reuters) Seagate to give up to $1.25 billion of $18 billion deal to buy Toshiba chip unit
- Seagate Technology PLC said on it would contribute up to $1.25 billion towards the purchase of Toshiba Corp’s chip unit by a consortium led by Bain Capital LP.
- Toshiba said earlier in the day it had signed an $18 billion deal to sell the unit to the group, overcoming a key – albeit not its last – hurdle as it scrambles for funds to stave off a potential delisting.
- Seagate also said it expects to enter into a long-term supply agreement with the unit, Toshiba Memory Corp.
- Besides Seagate, Bain’s consortium includes Apple Inc , South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, Dell Inc and Kingston Technology.