Iceberg, Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Updated 9/5/2015:
I took this photograph from the Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, as we transited the Weddell Sea from the Ice Shelf of Halley Bay to the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica (map) is a land of beautiful desolation, and I was able to capture nature photographs depicting its stunning landscapes and the wildlife that inhabits it. Many countries have stations in Antarctica and I was honored to be able to visit two of them, Neumeyer (German) and Halley Bay (United Kingdom).
Icebergs have powerful symbolism, expressing concept in many different venues. In the maritime sense, they represent hidden risk, as ten percent of the iceberg may be visible, the remaining ninety percent of the iceberg underwater. The Titanic collided with an iceberg in the mid-Atlantic in 1912 and is an example of risk associated with transiting areas with icebergs. These powerful metaphors or concepts can also be expressed in other venues, including the financial arena, where risk exists and may be hidden, subject to the impact of financial bifurcation points.
Chaos theory discusses how financial risk, and bifurcation points can reflect hidden factors which sudden express what we term "Black Swan" risk events as typified by Mohamed A. El-Erian's work.
In the financial arena, these risks reside in financial rating models. My June, 2015 article, Financial Rating Agencies and Risk, discusses Rating Agency models in the context of jet engines, which operate under a wide range of atmospheric conditions. Similarly, financial vehicles are tested under a wide range of scenarios, by various entities such as Rating Agencies and regulators in a wide variety of fields, including banking and insurance, under different legal constructs and governmental agencies.
As discussed in my article, Financial Rating Agencies and Risk, different Rating Agencies, such as Standard and Poor's and Moody's may reflect their analysis of risk in different ways. General Electric (GE) is used as an example in my blog article. which discussed Standard and Poor's maintenance of GE's rating in the light of its decision to divest itself of real estate assets and exit its GE Capital Finance arm. Moody's, however, downgraded GE on its decision, indicating GE was favoring equity investors over creditors. These rating decisions reflect different decision processes by Rating Agencies, not explicit government agencies. However these Rating Agencies have considerable impact over the manner in which financial decisions are reflected in the marketplace.
Clearly, there is hidden information which Rating Agencies, and governmental entities, are aware of. When there is a relationship between Rating Agencies and financial entities, as in the payment of a fee in exchange for a rating service, there is an incentive for the Rating Agency to monitor the actions of the company, as money has changed hands, and participate in the decisions of the company involved.. At some point, however, the economic prospects of the company do not warrant the degree of risk assigned to it, and the Rating Agency may choose to exercise a number of financial tools in order to maintain its credibility in the financial marketplace as a reliable partner in assessing risk.
You see, the Rating Agency has two major clients; one, those purchasing its evaluations of companies, and another, two who pay for its services in order to exchange information, maintain a rating as to its financial soundness, and exchange information in order to do so. Government agencies are a different entity involved, and they sit and cast a watchful eye over the ability of Rating Agencies to remain impartial; they are also concerned as to the ability that Rating Agencies have to move the markets, and, especially, their ability to impact major market moves that could mask efforts at financial or other types of terrorism.
This is where the increased complexity of emerging financial instruments presents a risk for regulators as they seek to keep up with new financial structures and derivatives such as special purpose vehicles, credit default swaps (CDS) and collateralized debt obligations (CDO's). The Treasury, certainly, is interested in attack on the financial system.
A company does not exist in a vacuum; it exists within a financial structure of ever increasing complexity, reflecting not only national considerations, but a world economic milieu of globalization that impacts its decisions, as nations develop and industries expand, contract and relocate or adopt new methodologies such as outsourcing. Externalities are always a consideration, and this this issue is discussed in my blog article of the same name.
This brings us back to the iceberg and the hidden factors. GE presents an interesting case study as we look to parse the actions of Standard and Poor's and Moody's in their rating of GE. My blog article, Our Nuclear Future - Financial Risk and Externalities briefly discusses the issue of the six nuclear plants designed by GE, which were part of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Site's design. The interesting question is the use of ratings in conjunction with the use of chaos theory and bifurcation points to bring down the economy and financial system.
There are specific provisions (options) in financial agreements that allow a company to take action in the case of certain events such as ratings downgrades. This puts a particular onus on Rating Agencies who have access to company information; it also presents a challenge to companies being rated as they seek to understand the processes which rating agencies use to rate their companies.
The interesting question in analyzing GE in the light of its departure from GE Capital, which finances GE engines, and from real estate, is its liquidity position and its exposure to risk from liquidity events in the light of the various risks that its operations faces.
Indeed, liquidity is an important consideration in analyzing a company's financial soundness. An example where liquidity events have taken down companies is General American Insurance, where exposure to risk from institutional investors brought down the company. General American had high exposure to funding agreements, which allowed policyholders to exercise a put option (withdraw funds without penalty) upon the adverse action of Rating Agencies. The construction of funding agreements involved mark to market issues and the use of put options in mutual funds (7 day put options). Moody's downgraded General American's insurance financial strength rating from A3 to Ba1 on August 9, 1999.
The interesting question with the actions of Standard and Poor's and Moody's with regards to GE is the divestiture of the GE Capital financing arm and the Real Estate assets; both of these events seem to reflect a move to better match projected assets and liabilities by increasing liquidity, potentially in the light of anticipated liabilities. These are the hidden, or unknown issues that confront regulators.
Why discuss GE? With issues of climate change and global warming, jet engines, which operate under a wide range of atmospheric conditions utilize various fuels for combustion under a wide degree of parameters representing different aspects of aviation usages, including private, commercial and government use. My blog article on the Polar Pioneer discusses these issues in the light of exploration and drilling for petroleum products in the Arctic. The availability of fuel and the mode of combustion and types of engines employed will always be an important characteristic of any decision process as we analyze our future options.
Many people have contributed to the issues discussed in these blog articles and I express my appreciation to them and to their contributions.
Liquidity issues are important factors in assessing financial risk. They represent one category of risk among others that can reflect bifurcation points which can impact the economy. Organization structure is also important, as indicated by the Barings Bank issue where Nick Leeson was involved on both sides of the house, trading and operations.
Alamy.com - Risk Lightbox
Liquidity issues are important factors in assessing financial risk. They represent one category of risk among others that can reflect bifurcation points which can impact the economy. Organization structure is also important, as indicated by the Barings Bank issue where Nick Leeson was involved on both sides of the house, trading and operations.
Alamy.com - Risk Lightbox
marilyndunstan.blogspot.com:
Wikipedia:
Maps:
Rating Agencies:
General American Insurance:
General American News - Mississippi Department of Insurance
Standard and Poor's- What May Cause Insurance Companies To Fail--And How ThisInfluences Our Criteria
Standard and Poor's- What May Cause Insurance Companies To Fail--And How ThisInfluences Our Criteria
GE:
