The most common question this column has fielded lately is how to play the regulator’s globally unprecedented proposal to replace $40 billion of bank hybrids with debt, boosting leverage with the quid pro quo of higher returns for shareholders given the lower cost of capital.
Shareholders and the regulator, which is slashing its compliance burden by not having to oversee the hybrid market, clearly win. Creditors, depositors and taxpayers all lose because banks become intrinsically riskier.
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Christopher Joye is a portfolio manager with Coolabah Capital, which invests in securities, including those discussed in his column. Connect with Christopher on Twitter.
