Spreads on most US corporate bonds widened modestly on Wednesday, taking their cue from falling equities, although a sprinkling of new deals met strong demand. "Investors are still very interested in owning corporate bonds," said Ed Marrinan, credit strategist at J.P. Morgan. "They are being more selective about where on the curve they want to own credit because of the threat of rising interest rates and flattening yield curve."
The Treasury yield curve is flattening as short interest rates rise and low inflation keeps long rates low. That has made 30-year corporate maturities a tougher sell, though bonds maturing in 10 years or less are in strong demand, Marrinan said.
Corporate bond spreads over Treasuries widened by about 0.01 percentage point overall, while more volatile automakers' bonds widened by 0.10 percentage point or more.
Spreads on Ford Motor Credit Co's 7.25 percent notes due in 2011 widened by about 0.19 percentage point to 2.48 percentage points more than Treasuries, MarketAxess reported.
Hewlett-Packard Co's credit spreads widened after the computer maker ousted its chief executive, Carly Fiorina, architect of a controversial merger with Compaq Computer. Traders said the weakness in HP's bonds was in line with the overall market, however.
HP turned in erratic financial results under Fiorina, and the merger with Compaq never produced the results she promised.
Hewlett-Packard's 6.5 percent notes due 2012 were yielding 0.38 percentage points more than Treasuries after the ouster news, about 0.01 percentage point wider on the day, according to MarketAxess.
In the credit derivatives market, the cost of insuring Hewlett-Packard's debt for five years rose by about 2 basis points to about 26 basis points, or $26,000 for every $10 million of principal protected.
New issue activity remained unusually quiet, though strategists expect supply for the full month to be in line with recent monthly averages of about $35 billion to $40 billion.
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