Beware Pitches for High-Yielding CDs
By: Eleanor Laise, Kiplinger (Jan 2017)
Kiplinger's "Beware Pitches for High-Yielding CDs" by Eleanor Laise reports on CDs promising high yields or capturing market upside, but many of these safe-sounding investments are loaded with risk. The article quotes Craig McCann on the complexity and limitations of such CDs.
The Oil Rout's Surprise Victims
By: Jason Zweig, The Wall Street Journal (Feb 2016)
Jason Zweig's "The Intelligent Investor: "The Oil Rout's Surprise Victims" in this weekend's Wall Street Journal discusses the losses caused by falling oil prices through retail structured products linked to crude oil prices, and to indexes and ETFs of oil and gas producing companies. The article quotes Craig McCann on the complexity of these products and their use as a focused bet rather than as part of a diversified investment strategy.
Sales of Callable Stock-Tied Notes Soar on Markets as Risks Loom
By: Kevin Dugan, Bloomberg News (Nov 2013)
Dr. Tim Husson discussed the properties and risks of autocallable structured products in Kevin Dugan's Bloomberg News report titled "Sales of Callable Stock-Tied Notes Soar on Markets as Risks Loom." Dr. Husson notes the reinvestment risk that can arise from notes that are called back by the issuer.
Market-Linked Certificates of Deposit Overpriced, Report Says
By: Kevin Dugan, Bloomberg News (Aug 2013)
Kevin Dugan's "Market-Linked Certificates of Deposit Overpriced, Report Says" of Bloomberg News interviewed Dr. Husson about SLCG's recent whitepaper on structured (or market-linked) certificates of deposit. They explain the results of the study, which indicate that structured CDs are often overpriced and that the market-linked component is often of little value to investors.
Structured Note Rules May Fail to Resolve Confusion Over Pricing
By: Kevin Dugan, Bloomberg News (Feb 2013)
Kevin Dugan's "Structured Note Rules May Fail to Resolve Confusion Over Pricing" discusses the remaining obstacles to the efficacy of fair value estimations of structured products following the April 2012 sweep letter from the SEC. Dr. Tim Dulaney is quoted as saying that "if you change your volatility assumptions...you could get a vastly different valuation." To read more about this story, feel free to visit our blog on Structured Product Issuers Under Pressure to Disclose Estimated Value.
How Apple Bit Bond Holders, Too
By: Jason Zweig, The Wall Street Journal (Jan 2013)
Jason Zweig's "How
Apple Bit Bond Holders, Too" in this weekend's Wall Street Journal describes the impact on investors in Apple-linked structured products of the decline in Apple's stock price from $700 in September 2012 to under $450 in January 2013. His article relies heavily on SLCG's structured products research including "
The Rise and Fall of Apple-linked Structured Products". All eight of SLCG's working papers on structured products can be found on our website. SLCG's database of 15,000 free research reports equity-linked structured products includes 775 reports on Apple-linked products.
The Great Yield Gamble
By: Ben Levisohn, Joe Light, The Wall Street Journal (Dec 2012)
Ben Levisohn and Joe Light's "The Great Yield Gamble" reports on the riskier investments that offer higher yields, such as high yield bond funds and structured products. Some of these investments are more complicated and riskier than necessary. The article quotes Craig McCann on the merits of reverse-convertible
structured notes. Learn more about structured products from SLCG's free database of structured product analysis.
New Product Offers Stock-Like Returns With Less Risk
By: Kirsten Grind, The Wall Street Journal (Jul 2012)
The Wall Street Journal's "New Product Offers Stock-Like Returns With Less Risk" by Kirsten Grind reports on a new type of investment from Eaton Vance called eUnits that combine a unit investment structure with a buffered plus payoff at maturity. The article quotes SLCG's structured products research and Craig McCann on the merits of eUnits. Learn more about structured products from SLCG's free database of structured product analysis.
Structured Notes: Not as Safe as They Seem
By: Jane J. Kim, Ben Levisohn, The Wall Street Journal (Nov 2010)
The Wall Street Journal' "Structured Notes: Not as Safe as They Seem" discusses the growth in sales of structured products in 2010. The article quotes Craig McCann on the mispricing of structured products in their offerings and mentions SLCG's free database of structured product analysis.
'100% Protected' Isn't as Safe as It Sounds
By: Gretchen Morgenson, The New York Times (May 2010)
"'100% Protected' Isn't as Safe as It Sounds" cites SLCG research on the value of Lehman Brothers Principal Protected Notes sold to retail investors.
