New Game: Automated Credit Trading

Automated credit trading has been growing for years, particularly among brokers and dealers, but was focused on helping traders buy and sell securities more efficiently. What’s different now is that the robots are making more decisions about what securities to buy and sell.

To come up with their assessments, the Barclays team counted all the US mutual funds that have the terms “systematic,” “quant” or “algorithm” along with “corporate,” “credit,” “bond” or “fixed income,” and found that their assets under management had doubled to $3.7 billion over the past year. They also spoke with Barclays’ algorithmic trading desk to find that one in six electronic requests for quotes come from systematic accounts. From Bloomberg.

Investors are playing against robots. A new game. 

Everything we can do, robots can do better. 

They also outlined risks associated with increased systematic trading, especially the potential for trend-followers creating “herding behavior” around certain names and amplifying volatility. Similarly, factor models that try to build on momentum, search for underpriced bonds or take advantage of bid-ask spreads can cause sharp movements in prices, as can tactical strategies that trade individual bonds.

Hamas on the Roof

GAZA YESTERDAY 

The second one offers himself as a target. 

Mohammed: "Urgent! Stop sending me more martyrs. I am out of virgins!"

Without Feathers

 

	Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
	Emily Dickinson Hope is not "the thing with feathers." The thing with feathers has turned out to be my nephew. I must take him to a specialist in Zurich. What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet. Woody Allen

Dogs ruling England

 The data watchdog has ordered a water company to release secret figures that could reveal illegal sewage spills.

This is from The Times of London. In England of our day, dogs give orders, and no one raises an eyebrow. 

"Five more refusenik water companies could also be forced to reveal details on the discharge of raw sewage after a ruling by the information watchdog."

In my time, a refusenik was a Soviet Jew who had been refused to exit the country. He did not refuse anything, on the contrary, he was not allowed to make aliyah. The Times is torturing the English language.  

Poisoned by Lead

Lead exposure from drinking wine and other beverages stored in lead vessels could have contributed to mental instability, and erratic behavior, in some Roman emperors.

Lead poisoning can cause a variety of neurological and psychiatric symptoms, including:

• Brain damage, especially to the prefrontal cortex controlling judgment, impulse control, and personality
• Mental fogginess, confusion, and difficulty concentrating
• Irritability, aggression, and abrupt mood swings
• Hallucinations and delusional thinking
• Mania, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior

Some examples of Roman emperors who exhibited disturbing mental states and cruelties that could potentially be linked to lead exposure include:

• Caligula - Became increasingly unstable, with bouts of anger, perverse sexuality, and delusions of grandeur.
• Nero - Started out promisingly but descended into debauchery, megalomania, and severe persecution of Christians.
• Commodus - Initially capable but later displayed bizarre behavior like fighting as a gladiator despite his imperial rank.

A hunded years ago

 The unintelligent man says: "We are too many." Intelligent men reply: "We are too few!". I affirm that the most fundamental if not essential element in the political power and therefore economic and moral power of Nations, is their demographic strength.

Let us speak frankly: What are 40 million Italians compared to 90 million Germans and 200 million Slavs? Let us turn to the West: what are 40 million Italians compared to 40 million Frenchmen, in addition to 90 million colonial inhabitants, or compared to 46 million Englishmen, in addition to the 450 million colonials? Gentlemen, if Italy is to count for anything in the world, then she must reach a population of no less than 60 million inhabitants by the middle of this century.

You may say: How will they live in this territory? The same reasoning was very likely brought forward in 1815, when there were only 16 million Italians living in Italy. Perhaps at that time it was also thought impossible that in the same territory one would be able to find — on an infinitely higher standard of living — food and lodging for the 40 million Italians of today.

For five years we have been going about saying that the Italian population is overflowing. It is not true! The river no longer overflows; rapidly enough it is returning to its channel. All nations and all empires have felt the bite of their decadence when they have seen their birth rates decline. What was the Pax Romana of Augustus? The Pax Romana of Augustus was a brilliant facade, behind which lay the already-fermenting signs of decline. And throughout the last century of the Second Republic ⁠— from Julius Caesar, who sent his legionaries with three sons to the fertile lands of the South, to the laws of Augustus, to the ordines maritandi ⁠— the anguish is evident. The whole history of Rome up to Trajan, in the last century of the Republic and from the first to the third century of the Empire, is dominated by this anguish: the Empire was no longer held, because it had to be defended by mercenaries.

From Benito Mussolini. Pic.: Giorgia Meloni, Italy's current president.

The Paz Romana started when Augustus stopped the expansion of the Roman Empire and focused on fortifying the borders, which were defended by mercenaries (not Roman citizens). It was mandated by the lack of Romans. 

People in Israel

 On the eve of Israel's 76th Independence Day, the population of Israel was 9.900 million.  7.427 million Jews (73.2%) o 2.089 million Arabs2 (21.1%) o 564,000 Others (5.7%) • Since last year’s Independence Day, Israel's population has grown by 189,000 (an increase of 1.9%). During this period, about 196,000 infants were born, about 37,000 immigrants arrived, and about 60,000 persons died.