Manage Money and Income Sucessfully

CDOs gained a bad reputation of being extremely illiquid when the product was first introduced. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that new investors question the depth of the secondary markets. When the credit markets hit bottom in 2002, secondary trading in CDOs began to proliferate.

Most dealers now have secondary trading desks and make markets in each others’ transactions. As a result, bid-ask spreads have narrowed substantially since early 2000.

Clearly, the narrowest bid-ask spreads are found at the top of the capital structure. In 2006, however, even equity bid-ask spreads (particularly for CLO equity) narrowed. As with all financial products, liquidity evaporates during periods of high volatility.

We believe equity investors should assume they are buying to hold, and any liquidity they receive should be viewed as a bonus. As for note investors, the key to avoiding a liquidity crunch is to stick to straightforward, easyto-model CDOs. Third-party software has been instrumental in helping secondary trading desks make a market in each others’ deals. If the structure is too esoteric, however, it may not make it into the vender’s database. In that case, an investor would most likely only have the underwriter to turn to when it comes time to sell.

The growth of the credit default CDO (CDCDO) market should, in the long run, continue the trend toward a more liquid secondary market. It could also lead to a few traffic bumps in the short term. A CDS contract requires one party to go long the risk, while another is effectively short. This fact alone opens the door to speculators who help provide liquidity, but who also increase market volatility. Higher market volatility leads to wider bid-ask spreads.