EU TRANSPORTATION: FedEx; €31s extended deadline for tendering

Feb-07 13:50

(FDX: Baa2/BBB)

It had a consent solicitation out after announcing FedEx Freight separation (was a subsidiary guarantor and 10% of group revenue, 30% of EBIT). Requisite consents have been received for;
(Will not mention $s here, only €s)

  • €600m 29s; 64% {BP152987 Corp} (was at 52% in late Jan)
  • €650m 33s; 59% {BP152989 Corp} (was at 53% in late Jan)
    • these holders were only eligible for the 0.25% fee if tendered before the initial deadline on Jan 22

Not received for:

  • €500m 31s; 29% {AZ746024 Corp} (was at 27% in late Jan)
    • these holders will continue to receive a 0.25% fee for participation
  • The other two lines the fee is available for are the 4.2% $28s and 4.25% $30s.

Tender deadline extended from yesterday to Feb 21st 5pm NYC. 
https://tinyurl.com/5xwz5zmj 

Historical bullets

GBP: Cable FX Exchange traded Option

Jan-08 13:45

GBPUSD (7th Mar) 124.00p, bought for 2.05, 2.06, 2.07 in ~1.22k.

  • This is already ITM, the CME contract also trades close to where the spot is, now at 123.21.

US TSY FUTURES: Post-Weekly Initial/Continuing Jobless Claims React

Jan-08 13:33
  • Treasury futures have tempered the post-ADP bounce off lows following softer than expected weekly jobless claims, continuing claims higher w/ prior down-revised.
  • The Mar'25 10Y contract trades -2.5 at 108-03 after breaching round number support to 107-28.5 low earlier, 10Y yield currently at 4.7035 +.0185 after tapping 4.7280% high, 2s10s at 42.486 +3.514.

FED: Gov Waller Continues To Forcefully Argue For Cuts, Unconcerned By Tariffs

Jan-08 13:33

Gov Waller's speech (called "Challenges Facing Central Bankers") Wednesday is largely in line with Chair Powell's post-December press conference commentary: further rate cuts are expected if the economy unfolds as expected. But Waller is more forceful on the outlook for cuts than Powell (and apparently more dovish than the median FOMC voter who sees just 50bp of cuts in 2024).

  • Waller says: "minimal further progress [on inflation] has led to calls to slow or stop reducing the policy rate. However, I believe that inflation will continue to make progress toward our 2 percent goal over the medium term and that further reductions will be appropriate." Note the "will be". Powell in contrast, albeit speaking for the FOMC as a whole: "we are at or near a point at which it will be appropriate to slow the pace of further adjustments".
  • Like Powell, Waller remains confident that inflation is on track to reach 2%: "I believe that inflation will continue to make progress toward our 2% goal over the medium term and that further reductions will be appropriate". He goes through his thinking on inflation trends, including that " progress has been uneven, but disinflation is more apparent if one smooths through the recent upticks" ... and  "inflation in 2024 has largely been driven by increases in imputed prices, such as housing services and nonmarket services, which are estimated rather than directly observed and I consider a less reliable guide to the balance of supply and demand across all goods and services in the economy." In other words, no concern from recent inflation data.
  • One major takeaway is that Waller doesn't see tariffs as being inflationary ("If, as I expect, tariffs do not have a significant or persistent effect on inflation, they are unlikely to affect my view of appropriate monetary policy.") He doesn't say whether his December forecasts incorporated assumptions of future government policy, but clearly this is the dovish angle on the tariff debate. The December meeting minutes will be interesting to read for any other participants' takes on the tariff impact.
  • Unlike Powell, he does not describe his view of the current state of policy restrictiveness: Powell in December said after 100bp of rate cuts that "policy is still meaningfully restrictive"; Waller had said before deciding whether to cut in December that policy was "significantly restrictive".