adminVining Sparks will host a four-part webinar series, Bond Fundamentals, Oct. 19-22, designed to provide portfolio managers with the basic knowledge needed to help plan and create effective investment portfolios.
A high-performance investment portfolio can provide a meaningful increase to your institution’s bottom line and serve as a valuable risk management tool. These webinars will provide you with the tools to understand how debt instruments work and their overall role in complementing the entire balance sheet.
Oct. 19 10 a.m. – Economic Fundamentals
Economic health, growth expectations, inflation, and monetary policy are key factors driving interest rates. During this course, you will learn how the economic backdrop is an important factor affecting fixed income performance.
You Will Learn:
• The key components of economic growth and how each is measured
• How economic growth dynamics influence inflation trends, and why inflation is important
• How these forces converge to create economic cycles, drive Federal Reserve policy decisions, and impact interest rates more broadly
Oct. 20, 10 a.m.- Municipal Bonds
Portfolio managers are looking to the municipal bond market to help defend the profitability of the institution as earnings are under pressure from lower rates, shrinking margins, and increased provisions. In this course, you’ll learn about the basics of municipal bonds, the foundation of yield in top-performing portfolios.
You Will Learn:
• The three types of General Obligation Bonds (GO ULT, GO LT and a GO), and why these securities are attractive to fixed income investors
• Five areas you need to review to determine a Type I investment (GO Municipal Bond) to determine the investment reflects investment-grade characteristics
• You will learn the basics of Credit Analysis
Oct. 21, 10 a.m. – Mortgage-Related Bonds
These bonds are generally a core holding in depository portfolios. During this webinar, you’ll learn how mortgage-related bonds can offer benefits such as government guarantees, liquidity, and cash flow to fund balance sheet needs.
You Will Learn:
• The structure, risks, and cash flow characteristics of pass-through securities like mortgage-backed securities and adjustable-rate mortgages
• Taking MBS one step further with an overview of CMOs, their purpose and use, and how the market functions for these products
• Pricing and trading of mortgage-related bonds along with analysis used to evaluate their risk and return
Oct. 22, 10 a.m. – Portfolio Strategies
The needs of the balance sheet should drive a portfolio manager’s decisions. In this final course, you will learn how to structure the bond portfolio by focusing on its primary purposes: liquidity, interest-rate risk management, and income generation.
You Will Learn:
• Attributes of sound portfolio management
• Investment portfolio and balance sheet strategy development
• Vining Sparks models, analytics and support to effectively manage the investment portfolio
Who Should Attend?
CPAs and those new to their roles as investment officers, cashiers, controllers, and internal control professionals will benefit the most from Bond Fundamentals. New directors serving on the investment or asset-liability committee will also find this course beneficial.
The webinars are free for Vining Sparks’ customers and prospects. For registration emails, contact info@viningsparks.com.
