Deutsche Bank shares slumped on Friday, 24 March, putting the health of another globally systemic important bank in the spotlight heading into the weekend.
The German lender’s shares fell 13% in Frankfurt trade, and the Euro Stoxx bank index fell 6%.
Deutsche Bank’s 5-year credit-default swaps widened on 23 March, in what Reuters reported was the largest one-day rise in its history.
It should be noted that Deutsche Bank’s 5-year credit-default swap, which was 175 on 23 March, is nowhere near the peak for Credit Suisse, which was 1,194, according to S&P Global data. The higher the value of the CDS, the more likely the market sees the issuer defaulting.
Deutsche Bank’s AT1 bonds have tumbled in value after Switzerland wiped out Credit Suisse’s securities in the deal for it to be taken over by UBS.
READ The winners and losers from UBS and Credit Suisse’s investment bank tie-up
The Invesco AT1 Capital Bond, which invests in these convertible bonds, have dropped 18% this month as investors lose faith in the securities. European and other banking regulators across the globe have insisted they will not follow Switzerland’s precedent, and first let bank equity fall to zero before wiping out the convertible securities in the event of a failure.
“It is doubtful that banks will be able to issue new AT1 anytime soon, increasing the likelihood of outstanding AT1 notes being extended. We consider that the recent events in the banking sector have resulted in substantially increased uncertainty, which is likely to continue to be reflected as substantial short-term volatility in credit markets,” said analysts at ING.
UBS UBS also is feeling the stress in a deal that the banks say might not complete this year. UBS shares dropped 6%.
Related: Analysts say UBS will face revenue pressure before it can cut Credit Suisse costs.
Analysts also noted that a foreign institution tapped a Fed facility for $60bn, according to data released by the US central bank on 23 March. The Fed does not identify the counterparties. Major central banks do have access to swap lines for dollar borrowing from the Fed, meaning that either it was an institution that does not have that capability, or it was one that wanted to do so anonymously.
Furthermore, Bloomberg News reported the US government was investigating banks including Credit Suisse and UBS for allegedly helping Russians evade US sanctions.
This article was published by MarketWatch, part of Dow Jones
