BondDesk Group LLC Corporate Market Transparency Report: Despite Lower Yields in January, Retail Buying Activity Increased

MILL VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BondDesk Group LLC, one of the nation's largest, retail bond trading venues and a leading fixed income technology firm, released its January Corporate Market Transparency Report, finding that even though corporate yields fell last month, buying activity increased materially.

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In January, average odd-lot buying activity was 9,251 trades/day compared to the December average of 7,852, a 17% increase. Meanwhile average yields fell from 4.53% in December to 4.41% in January. The trend was clearly downward, as yields peaked on 1/5 at 4.64% before falling to 4.23% on 1/28.

The buy/sell ratio among the top 100 most actively traded corporate issuers also increased in January (from 1.1 to 1.2), indicating a positive shift in investor sentiment. This was the second month in a row the ratio has gone up, though it is still well off the 2010 peak of 1.7.

"Yields were falling most of the month, but that didn't seem to deter investors," said Pete Campfield, President of BondDesk Trading LLC. "It's a little surprising since normally trade counts are highly correlated with yield movements."

The monthly report, available at www.bonddeskgroup.com, provides proprietary analysis and data on a variety of key market trends. The report is unique because it focuses exclusively on corporate bond trading activity among retail investors. It is designed to help financial advisors and sophisticated retail investors make better decisions about individual corporate bonds. Highlights include:

• Market Recap. A summary of the previous month's trading activity in the retail bond market as well as the economic events that impacted demand.
• Yield/Spread History. A running history of median yields & spreads, providing a historical context for the current rate environment.
• Yield Matrix. A table containing median yields for each credit rating and maturity, broken out by financials, industrials and utilities.  
• Volume Trends. Tables listing the most actively traded corporate issuers, as well as the highest and lowest buy/sell ratios (indicating market momentum).

For more information about BondDesk or to speak with Pete Campfield, please contact Carol Graumann at 973-732-3521 or [email protected].

About BondDesk

BondDesk Group LLC is a leading financial technology firm, providing enterprise-wide fixed income solutions to many of the top broker-dealers in North America. The BondDesk Alternative Trading System (ATS), run by BondDesk Trading LLC, connects broker-dealers through a centralized marketplace by offering a diverse pool of liquidity for odd-lot fixed income securities in multiple asset classes. The BondDesk ATS executes over 20,000 transactions per day by providing 2,000 broker-dealers access to 35,000 live and executable offerings from over 100 premier fixed income dealers. In addition, BondDesk Group is a leading provider of innovative fixed income wealth management solutions, advisor workstations and fixed income analytical tools and applications.

BondDesk Trading LLC is a member FINRA, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BondDesk Group LLC.  

To learn more about BondDesk, visit www.bonddeskgroup.com.

SOURCE BondDesk Group LLC