Top news
Banks hit by Carillion collapse 06 China and sovereign workouts 06 Big year for Argentina ECM 08
Goldman enjoys DCM boom but trading slumps
People & Markets Increased focus on debt underwriting starts to pay off
BY PHILIP SCIPIO, STEVE SLATER
At the same time that GOLDMAN
SACHS was turning in its worst
PERFORMANCEûINûlXEDûINCOMEû
TRADINGûSINCEûTHEûûlNANCIALû
CRISISûITûALSOûENJOYEDûITSûBESTûEVERû
QUARTERûINûDEBTûUNDERWRITINGûnû
REmECTINGûAûSHIFTûINûITSûFOCUS
'OLDMANSûPERFORMANCEûINûlXEDû
INCOMEûCURRENCYûANDûCOMMODITIESû
TRADINGûCONTINUESûTOûSETûALARMûBELLSû
RINGINGûANDûINVESTORSûSOLDûOFFûTHEû
STOCKûLASTûWEEK
4HEûBANKûHASûTURNEDûINû
SHOCKINGû&)##ûREVENUESûFORû
THREEûQUARTERSûINûAûROWûANDûINû
THEûFOURTHûQUARTERûREVENUESû
HALVEDûFROMûAûYEARûEARLIERûTOû
53BNûnûWORSEûTHANûEXPECTEDû
ANDûUNDERPERFORMINGûAûWEAKû
SHOWINGûACROSSûTHEûBIGû53ûBANKS
But its performance in
UNDERWRITINGûDEBTûANDûEQUITYû
DEALSûWASûINûSTARKûCONTRAST
'OLDMANSûREVENUESûFROMûDEBTû
UNDERWRITINGûINûTHEûFOURTHûQUARTERû
came in at US$909m, up 61% from a
YEARûAGOûANDûOUTPERFORMINGû*0û
-ORGANûANDû"ANKûOFû!MERICAû
-ERRILLû,YNCHûFORûTHEûlRSTûTIMEûSINCEû
THEûCRISISûANDûPERHAPSûEVERûINûAû
SEGMENTûWHEREûTHOSEûLARGERûBANKSû
NORMALLYûDOMINATEû*0û-ORGANû
#ITIGROUPûANDû"!-,ûTYPICALLYûTOPû
$#-ûRANKINGSûHELPEDûBYûTHEûABILITYû
TOûUSEûTHEIRûLARGEûBALANCEûSHEETS
'OLDMANûBENElTEDûLASTû
quarter from a spike in
LEVERAGEDûlNANCEûACTIVITYûITSû
CHIEFûlNANCIALûOFlCERû-ARTYû
#HAVEZûTOLDûANALYSTS
4HEûBANKûHASûRAMPEDûUPûITSû
$#-ûAMBITIONSûINûTHEûPASTûFOURû
YEARSûAFTERûRECOGNISINGûITûWASûANû
AREAûWHEREûITûUNDERPERFORMED
)TûVIEWEDûPROVIDINGûDEBTûADVICEûASû
BECOMINGûMOREûSTRATEGICûANDû
INTEGRALûTOû-!ûTRANSACTIONSûANDû
ADVISORYûWORKûANDûITûHASûPARTICULARLYû
TARGETEDûACQUISITIONûlNANCEû4HATû
HASûINVOLVEDûCOMMITTINGûMOREû
CAPITALûFORûCLIENTSûOFTENûLINKEDûTOûITSû
WORKûWITHûlNANCIALûSPONSORSûWHEREû
ITûISûTHEûMARKETûLEADER
&ORûTHEûYEARû'OLDMANûBROUGHTû
INû53BNûINû$#-ûUPûûFROMû
û#HAVEZûSAIDûTHATûWASûMOREû
THANûDOUBLEûITSûAVERAGEûREVENUEû
RUNûRATEûFROMûûTOû
h4HEûKEYûTOûOURûDEBTû
UNDERWRITINGûBUSINESSûHASûBEENû
THEûALIGNMENTûWITHûACQUISITIONû
lNANCEûANDûOURû-!ûFRANCHISEû
INCLUDINGûOURûRELATIONSHIPSûWITHû
lNANCIALûSPONSORSvû#HAVEZûSAIDû
h4HATSûREALLYûWHATûDIFFERENTIATESû
OURûDEBTûUNDERWRITINGûBUSINESSû
COMPAREDûWITHûOTHERSv
)TSûREVENUEûFROMûEQUITYû
UNDERWRITINGûSOAREDûûFROMû
AûYEARûEARLIERûTOû53Mû
PUTTINGûITûAHEADûOFûALLûITSûRIVALSû
ANDûTHEûHIGHESTûANYûBANKûHASû
EARNEDûINûANYûQUARTERûFORûATûLEASTû
TWOûYEARSû-ORGANû3TANLEYûWASû
ITSûNEARESTûCHALLENGERûLASTû
QUARTERûBRINGINGûINû53M
&ORûTHEûYEARû'OLDMANSû%#-û
REVENUESûHITû53BNûUPûû
Investors cry foul over CDS ‘fraud’
Derivatives “Devious” deal would trigger default and save firm from losses
BY DAVIDE SCIGLIUZZO,
MATTHEW DAVIES
The CDS market is up in arms
OVERûAûCONTROVERSIALûDEBTûSWAPû
FORû53ûHOMEBUILDERûHOVNANIAN
ENTERPRISESûTHATûHASûALREADYûLEDû
TOûAûLAWSUITûAGAINSTûINVESTMENTû
GIANTû"LACKSTONEûFORûFRAUD
At the centre of the storm is
"LACKSTONESûCREDITûARMû'3/û
#APITALû0ARTNERSûWHICHûFACESû
HEAVYûLOSSESûONû#$3ûITûPURCHASEDû
LINKEDûTOû.EWû*ERSEY
BASEDû
(OVNANIAN
4HEûLAWSUITûALLEGESûTHATû'3/ûISû
OFFERINGû(OVNANIANûAûTERMûLOANû
WELLûBELOWûMARKETûRATESûnûBUTû
ONLYûIFû(OVNANIANûDEFAULTSûONûANû
EXISTINGûBONDûTOûTRIGGERûAûCREDITû
EVENTûTHATûPAYSûOFFû'3/
4HEûMOVEûMAYûNOTûBEûILLEGALûnû
'3/ûHASûDONEûSOMETHINGûSIMILARû
WITHû#ODEREûANDû.ORSKEû3KOGû
ALTHOUGHûUNLIKEû(OVNANIANû
BOTHûOFûTHOSEûCOMPANIESûWEREûINû
SOMEûDEGREEûOFûDISTRESS ûnûBUTûITû
HASûSPARKEDûFEARSûTHATûTHEû
INTEGRITYûOFûCREDITûDEFAULTûSWAPSû
WILLûBEûPERMANENTLYûDAMAGED
h)FûMANUFACTUREDûDEFAULTSû
PROLIFERATEûITûISûMYûBELIEFûTHATû
THEûABILITYûTOûPRICEû#$3ûWILLûBEû
IRREDEEMABLYûUNDERMINEDvû
FORMERû)3$!ûCHIEFû2OBERTû0ICKELû
WROTEûINûSUPPORTûOFûTHEûSUIT
)3$!ûTHEûDERIVATIVESûINDUSTRYû
TRADEûBODYûDECLINEDûTOû
COMMENT
"OTHû(OVNANIANûANDû
"LACKSTONEûVOWEDûTOûDEFENDû
THEMSELVESûhVIGOROUSLYvûAGAINSTû
THEûSUITûWHICHûWASûlLEDûEARLIERû
THISûMONTHûBYûAûHEDGEûFUNDû
3OLUSû!LTERNATIVEû!SSETû
-ANAGEMENT
7HILEû0ICKELûHASûBEENû
RETAINEDûBYû3OLUSSûLAWYERSûFORû
53ûANûHOURûASûANûEXPERTûINû
THEûCASEûHEûISûHARDLYûTHEûONLYû
OBSERVERûTROUBLEDûBYûTHEûDEFAULTû
PLAN
2OBINû0OWERSûAûPARTNERûATûLAWû
lRMû2IMONûWHOûSPECIALISESûINû
DERIVATIVESûSAIDûTHATûWHILEûTHEû
ARRANGEMENTûSEEMSûLEGALûhONûITSû
FACEvûITûCOULDûDESTABILISEûTHEû
MARKETûFORûSINGLE
NAMEû#$3
h)FûYOUûCANTûRELYûONûMARKETû
FORCESûDETERMININGûWHETHERûYOUû
HAVEûTOûPAYûOUTûYOUûAREûLESSû
LIKELYûTOûBEûWILLINGûTOûSELLû
PROTECTIONv
“CLEVER” CLOGS
4HEûCOMPLEXûRElNANCINGûTARGETSû
(OVNANIANSûûANDûû
UNSECUREDûûBONDSû4HEûû
NOTESûWOULDûBEûRElNANCEDû
DIRECTLYûBYû'3/ûWITHûAûNEWûTERMû
LOANûDUEûINûûWHILEûTHEûû
NOTESûWOULDûBEûSUBJECTûTOûANû
EXCHANGEûOFFER
)NVESTORSûCANûSWAPûTHEIRû
HOLDINGSûFORûAûMIXûOFûCASHûAûNEWû
ûUNSECUREDûBONDûDUEûINû
ûANDûAûûBONDûALSOû
UNSECUREDûTHATûWILLûONLYûPAYûAû
COUPONûOFû
!SûPARTûOFûTHEûSWAPû(OVNANIANû
WOULDûDEFAULTûONûAûPORTIONûOFûTHEû
8% note that one of its
SUBSIDIARIESûWILLûACQUIREûTHROUGHû
THEûEXCHANGEûLIKELYûTRIGGERINGû
PAYMENTSûONû(OVNANIANSû#$3
4HEûSUITûSAYSûTHATûBECAUSEûOFû
THEûLONGûMATURITYûANDûLOWû
COUPONûnûWELLûUNDERûWHATûANû
ISSUERûINûTHEûLOWESTûRUNGSûOFû
JUNKûWOULDûBEûEXPECTEDûTOûPAYûnû
THEûNEWûSûWILLûBEûVALUEDûATûAû
STEEPûDISCOUNTûTOûPAR
!SûSUCHûTHEûSUITûALLEGESûTHEIRû
ONLYûPURPOSEûISûTOûPROVIDEû'3/û
WITHûAûDEEPLYûIMPAIREDûINSTRUMENTû
TOûDELIVERûINTOûTHEû#$3ûAUCTIONûnû
WHICHûINûTURNûWOULDûINmATEûTHEû
PAYOUTûONûTHOSEûSWAPS
h(OVNANIANSûDEFAULTûISû
ENTIRELYûAVOIDABLEûANDûDOESûNOTû
REmECTûITSûlNANCIALûDISTRESSvû
LAWYERSûFORû3OLUSûWROTEûINûTHEIRû
lLINGûCALLINGûITûAûhFRAUDULENTû
SCHEMEv
h'3/ûSTANDSûTOûLOSEûMASSIVEû
SUMSûOFûMONEYvûTHEYûWROTEû
h2ATHERûTHANûACCEPTûTHATûREALITYû
'3/ûSETûOUTûTOûBRIBEû(OVNANIANû
xûANDû(OVNANIANûAGREEDv
)NDEPENDENTûRESEARCHûlRMû
#OVENANTû2EVIEWûCALLEDûTHEûPLANû
hDEVIOUSLYûCLEVERvûSAYINGûTHEû
MISSEDûINTERESTûPAYMENTSûWOULDû
BEûSMALLûENOUGHûTOûAVOIDûAûCROSS
DEFAULTûONûOTHERû(OVNANIANû
BONDS