Senior members of Bloomberg Intelligence’s credit research team will discuss favorite Bloomberg functionality and how it’s applied in credit analysis. Following, the team will pitch both investment grade and high yield bonds we believe to be too wide or tight to peers.

Prof Edward I. Altman, Max L. Heine Professor, Emeritus, Salomon Center, NYU Stern School of Business, and a 2001 FIASI Hall of Fame member presented his assessment of the credit climate from just before the unexpected COVID-19 global health crisis to its immediate and extended impact. Based on a recently completed research paper, Professor Altman will share his analysis of the performance of several key indicators of the nature of credit cycles, including default and recovery rates on high-yield bonds, and the number of large firm bankruptcies that are expected over the next twelve months and beyond, yield spreads and distress ratios and liquidity. The focus of the research paper is primarily on the nonfinancial corporate debt market in the United States, but also covered is the leveraged loan and collateralized loan obligation markets as well as the increasingly large and important BBB tranche of the corporate bond market.

The agenda for the webinar is as follows:

• Introductory Remarks by Larry White, Managing Director, Business Development, DBRS Morningstar
• Panel discussion: Sustainable Investing in the High Yield Sector
  • Moderator 
    • Martin Fridson, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Lehmann Livian Fridson Advisors, LLC
  • Panelists
    • Amy Levine, CFA, is a Senior Vice President, Director of ESG, Shenkman Capital Management
    • Joseph DiCarlo, CFA, Senior Financial Analyst, MetLife Investment Management
    • Kay Herr, CFA, Managing Director, Head of Research, Global Fixed Income, Currency & Commodities, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
• Sris Charterjee, Gabelli Chair in Global Security Analysis Finance and Business Economics, Fordham University:  Recent green bonds research findings
• Panel discussion: Climate change and credit rating agency actions
  • Moderator 
    • Henry Shilling, Director of Research, Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC
  • Panelists
    • William Cox, Global Head of Corporate, Financial and Government Ratings, Kroll Bond Rating Agency
    • James Leaton, Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, Moody’s Global Environmental
    • Andrew Lin, Managing Director, Head of Energy and Project Finance at DBRS Morningstar
    • Lisa Schroeer, Sector Leader & Senior Director in the U.S. Public Finance Division for S&P Global Ratings
    • Andrew Steel, Managing Director, Global Group Head, Sustainable Finance, Fitch Ratings
• Concluding Remarks by Henry Shilling, Director of Research, Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC

A message from The Strategic Planning Committee of the FIASI Board:

We hope you are doing well as we enter what seems to be a new worrisome phase of the COVID pandemic. As we’ve been managing through this crisis during these many months, one of the most difficult challenges has been the inability to have face-to-face/in-person interactions with work colleagues and FIASI Members. We’ve all had to adapt and FIASI is no different in this respect. I'm pleased to report that FIASI's financial condition remains sound and will allow us to adapt as needed. FIASI’s Board would like to update you and also ask for your support and assistance with some new initiatives.

FIASI hosted a brief virtual meeting on Thursday, November 19th, at 5pm EST and filled those who attended in on the status of the Hall of Fame, some future programming events and our strategic plan initiative.

In line with our deliberations around the FIASI strategic plan and our conclusions that FIASI needs to step up its programing, expand membership and diversify its sources of income to ensure the organization's sustainability, the Board has made a decision to implement a new committee structure involving both Board Members and our Membership (you!) in order to better facilitate activities and meet our objectives. Our strategic planning committee believes this new structure will provide more avenues for member participation and additional reasons to join FIASI. Furthermore, FIASI is expecting that successful committee participation by its Members will serve as an effective way to groom them for eventual Board level participation. To start we have identified three committees for which we want Member participation.

• Membership
• Programming
• Marketing

The Board and our Members will work side-by-side on these committees to ensure that FIASI meets its long-term objectives by: 1) serving and growing FIASI's membership, 2) supporting and enhancing our programming with relevant targeted content, including the Hall of Fame, ESG, WIFI and other future events, and 3) leveraging marketing and outreach efforts, including social media in a smart, effective way in this evolving world in which we live and work. We believe our future is bright and we invite you to be part of FIASI’s future by participating in these efforts with us.

We hope you joined us but if not, watch the video by clicking the link below.

Sincerely,

The Strategic Planning Committee

• Larry White, FIASI President
• Monica Aggarwal, FIASI, Vice-Presiden
• Mark Howard, FIASI, Secretary
• Henry Shilling
• Diane Vazza

Welcome Remarks:

• Monica Aggarwal, CFA Managing Director, Fitch Ratings and Vice President, FIASI Board of Directors

The Macro Outlook: What Else Can 2020 Bring?

Moderator: 

• Joyce Chang, Chair of Global Research, JP Morgan

Panelists: 

• Michelle Meyer, Managing Director, Head of U.S. Economics at BofA Global Research
• Priya Misra, Managing Director, Global Head of Rates Strategy at TD Securities
• Marilyn Watson, Managing Director, Head of Global Fundamental Fixed Income Strategy, BlackRock

Asset Class Specifics: Drivers for the Investment Grade, High Yield, Loan, and Emerging Markets

Moderator: 

• Erin Lyons, Co-Head US Investment Grade Research, CreditSights, FIASI Board Member

Panelists:

• Anupam Damani, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Head of International and Emerging Markets Debt Sector Team, Nuveen
• Monica Erickson, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Head of Investment Grade Corporate Credit, DoubleLine
• Samantha Milner, Partner, Portfolio Manager and Head of US Liquid Credit Research, Ares
• Elaine Stokes, Executive Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the Full Discretion, Loomis, Sayles & Company

• Moderator and panelist: David Hendler, Founder & President of Viola Risk Advisors, LLC.
• Panelists:
  • Christopher Wolfe, Managing Director and Head of North American Banks, Fitch Ratings.
  • John Giordano, Managing Director and Head of Global Credit Research: Investment Grade, High Yield & Capital Securities, Cantor Fitzgerald.
  • Joseph Di Carlo, Senior Financials Analyst, MetLife Investment Management

• Moderator: Ralph DeCesare, TD Asset Management
• Panelists:
  • Marie Diron, Moody's Corporation
  • Roberto Sifon-Arevalo, S&P Global Ratings
  • Tony Stringer, FitchRatings
  • Thomas Torgerson, Morningstar | DBRS

Moderator:  Henry Shilling, Sustainable Research and Analysis LLC

Panelists: 

• Alessia Falsarone, PineBridge Investments
• Joshua Linder, APG Asset Management
• Steve Nichols, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Mark Zandi
Chief Economist of Moody's Analytics, co-Founder of Economy.com

Mark discussed his views on the US economy and his special insights into the ADP National Employment report, released that morning.

James Grant
Founder: Grant's Interest Rate Observer
FIASI Hall of Fame Member

Presented by:  Martin Fridson, CFA

Moderator: Jerry van Koolbergen, DBRS Morningstar

Panelists:

• Oliver Dunsche, BNP Paribas
• Martha Gurwit, Antares Capital
• Sajal K. Srivastava, Triple Point Capital

James A. Bianco, President of Bianco Research, L.L.C.

Eric Beinstein, J.P. Morgan's Head of High Grade Research and Strategy

Jack Kranefuss, Senior Director
David Peterson, Senior Director
Patrice Cucinello, Director

Bob Michele from JP Morgan Asset Management

Richard Sylla, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the Stern School of Business, NYU

He talked about: "Alexander Hamilton on Fiscal Responsibility".

Speakers: 

• Sarah Gefter, Co-Managing Editor of U.S. Credit
• Jason Sanjana, Co-Managing Editor of U.S. Credit
• Mark Fischer, Director of Credit Research

For Reorg Research.