The credit spread puzzle the liquidity premium

The credit spread “puzzle” … …the liquidity premium and implications for annuity business Paul Fulcher, UBS Investment Bank Finance & Risk Management Conference, June 2007

The credit spread puzzle

What is the credit spread “puzzle” § Definition § “Credit spreads” = corporate bond yields – risk-free* yields (* e. g. government bonds) § The “puzzle” § Credit spreads >> expected default losses … [e. g. Altman (1989)] § …even at current historically low spreads § Often attributed to a “liquidity premium”

Recent spread history Source: UBSDelta

Current credit spreads (over gilts) Source: UBSDelta

Expected default losses: 1970 -2006 Source: Moody’s Corporate Default Study for 1970 -2006, Feb 07 (Exhibit 24) Working Party calculations (see paper for details)

Spreads less expected defaults Credit spread puzzle

Why does it matter?

Role of a “liquidity premium” § Often attributed to liquidity premium associated with corporate bonds § Life and pension funds, with long-dated illiquid liabilities, can benefit from liquidity premium § E. g. Annuity business (can die but not surrender): valuation / pricing often relies on the liquidity premium § Life insurers annuity books traditionally backed with corporate bonds

Regulatory Peak “Risk-adjusted” yield, based on: spread less (prudent, historic) expected defaults § “In both the running yield and internal rate of return the yield must be reduced to exclude that part of the yield that represents compensation for credit risk arising from the asset. § For credit-rated securities this may be made by reference to historic default rates of securities with a similar credit rating. ” (INSPRU 3. 1. 43)

Realistic Peak: PVFP of non-profit “Market consistent” value of annuities allows capitalisation of liquidity premium § “Where illiquid assets are used to closely match similar illiquid liabilities, as could be the case in annuities business, it would be appropriate to look at the liquidity premium that is implicit in the market value of the assets as a proxy for the liquidity premium that should be included in a market consistent valuation of the liabilities. ” (INSPRU 1. 3. 39) § GN 45 interprets as applying to corporate bonds only (GN 45 V 2. 0 2. 1. 3. 1)

Market-Consistent Embedded Value MCEV most commonly excludes liquidity premium, but practices differ § “in most circumstances, no liquidity premium should be capitalised in an MCEV; § and if some liquidity premium were to be capitalised in an MCEV, this fact should be disclosed, along with the financial impact shown separately” Source: Current Developments in Embedded Value Reporting O’Keeffe et al, presented to Institute of Actuaries, Feb 05 § Prudential use a “liquidity premium for illiquid liabilities” in MCEV results for annuity business

Investment implications

Why annuity funds invest in credit only Regulatory peak “bias” (and hence FSA orthodoxy) § “Liquidity premium” in liability discounting Þ Optimises risk-adjusted yield vs. gilts and equities Þ Mark-to-market losses matched in liability valuation § No credit stress test in regulatory peak § No credit for diversification of risk in regulatory peak § Close matching requirement for index-linked business

Why annuity funds invest in credit only Convenience / attractiveness § Attractive returns vs. default losses § Year-by-year cashflow matching is possible to a close tolerance (avoids mismatching reserves) § Market credit spread can be used to drive transparent (internal) pricing – credit risk premium more visible than equity risk premium (or alternatives)

Explaining the “puzzle”

Possible causes from the literature § Credit risk premium § Risky assets should have expected return>risk-free § Credit risk is correlated with equity risk (Merton) § Liquidity premium § Compensation for lower liquidity § Taxation effects § Potentially significant in US due to state tax § but controversial (who is the marginal investor? )

Other possible causes … § Small sample bias (“peso effect”) § 1970 -2004 relatively benign, but Moody’s also includes data back to 1920 § Skewed nature of payoff and diversification difficulties § Correlation with interest rates § But -ve correlation reduces required credit spread § Different features (callable, puttable, convertible, subordinated) – but literature attempts to correct for this

One possible decomposition (US A-rated) Suggests little/no liquidity effect From Fama-French model Source: Elton, Gruber, Agrawal and Mann (2001)

Alternative historic decomposition (high yield) Suggest liquidity effect historically significant, but currently low Source: Bank of England Financial Stability Report, April 2007

Main findings – and controversies § Most studies able to explain much of the “puzzle” § Differ on relative size of liquidity vs. credit risk premia § Liquidity = 7% to 75% of spread? , 10 to 60 bps? § Is “flight to liquidity” a risk premium § Credit risk premia focused on spread volatility rather than default risk § Default key if held-to-maturity (“pull to par”) § But do life cos really hold to maturity?

Liquidity measures § Currently liquidity appears relatively very high (composite of “tightness”, “depth” and “liquidity premia”) Source: Bank of England Financial Stability Report, April 2007

Liquidity measures - swap spreads Source: UBSDelta

Conclusions

Conclusions – credit spread puzzle § Credit spread puzzle can be (mostly) explained § Liquidity premiums exist § but may be significantly smaller than often assumed § particularly currently § Rationale for capitalising liquidity premium in “marketconsistent” value depends on illiquid nature of liability (c. f. GN 45 2. 1. 3. 6) § Liquidity premiums are not unique to corporate bonds

Conclusions – investment for annuities § In new ICA world, diversification becomes key Old regulatory peak world New economic capital (ICA) world

Acknowledgements § Based on work for Derivatives Working Party of the Life Research Committee § “Credit Derivatives” paper, presented to Faculty of Actuaries in January 2007 http: //www. actuaries. org. uk/files/pdf/life_insurance/credit_derivatives_20060126. pdf § Working party members: Martin Muir (chair), Andrew Chase, Paul Coleman, Paul Cooper, Gary Finklestein, Paul Fulcher, Chris Harvey, Richard Pereira, Albert Shamash, Tim Wilkins

Contact Details Paul Fulcher UBS Investment Bank Tel: +44 20 7567 3266 paul. fulcher@ubs. com

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