Diversification and UBS Puerto Rico Bond Fund Losses
(Dec 2013)
The 19 closed-end bond funds managed by UBS Puerto Rico listed in Table 1 lost $1.66 billion in the first 9 months of 2013. These funds were sold almost exclusively to citizens of Puerto Rico and approximately 70% of the portfolios of these funds were invested in Puerto Rican securities. The percentage losses over the past year range from 38% to 48% for the worst-performing UBS PR funds. These losses are substantially greater than Puerto Rican municipal bonds generally. The Standard and...
Diversificación y Pérdidas de los Fondos de Bonos de UBS Puerto Rico
(Dec 2013)
Los 19 fondos cerrados de bonos administrados por UBS Puerto Rico presentados en la Tabla 1 registraron pérdidas de $1.66 billones de dólares durante los primeros 9 meses del año 2013. Estos fondos fueron vendidos casi exclusivamente a ciudadanos de Puerto Rico y aproximadamente el 70% de las carteras de estos fondos se invirtieron en títulos Puertorriqueños. En el último año, las pérdidas de los fondos de UBS PR con peor desempeño fluctuaron entre un 38% y 48%. En general, estas pérdidas...
Trouble in Paradise: UBS Puerto Rico Bond Fund Investors Hit Hard
(Oct 2013)
Despite a 2012 settlement agreement with the SEC, UBS Puerto Rico continues to face new allegations regarding its sales practices of tax-advantaged closed-end funds. While UBS Puerto Rico did not admit wrongdoing when it settled with the SEC, an SEC statement on the matter said "UBS Puerto Rico denied its closed-end fund customers [...] accurate price and liquidity information, and a trading desk that did not advantage UBS's trades over those of its customers." At the time of the SEC...
Peligro en la Isla del Encanto: Inversionistas de UBS Puerto Rico Sufren Cuantiosas Pérdidas
(Oct 2013)
Hace más de un año, la Comisión de Valores y Bolsa de los Estados Unidos (SEC, por sus siglas en inglés) penalizó a la unidad puertorriqueña de UBS. La SEC acusó a UBS Puerto Rico (UBS PR) de encubrir la crisis de liquidez que afectaba a un grupo de sus fondos llamados Fondos de Puerto Rico. La investigación por parte de la SEC resultó en un acuerdo extrajudicial mediante el cual UBS PR se comprometió a pagar $26.6 millones de dólares a los inversionistas afectados. Hoy en día, UBS PR se...
Retail Investors and the Municipal Bond Market
(Jun 2013)
This week, we will be discussing the buying and selling of municipal bonds by brokers on behalf of retail investors. But to start, let's address some basic questions about the municipal bond market.
What are municipal bonds and how are they traded?
Municipal bonds are simply bonds issued by a state and local government or authorities. Municipal bonds can be general obligation bonds, meaning they are not used to fund specific projects, or they could be issued to finance a new highway, a public...
FINRA Dispute Resolution Statistics 2012
(Jan 2013)
Last week, we covered NERA's analysis of SEC settlements during FY2012. This week, we're taking a look at FINRA's recent release of their dispute resolution summary statistics. FINRA arbitration is a common way for investors to pursue restitution for damage caused by fraud, negligence, or other fiduciary breaches. FINRA provides a detailed summary of the arbitration process and claims can be filed either online or by mail.
Through December of this year, FINRA reports that the number of new...
Structured Products: 2012 Year-End Market Review
(Jan 2013)
Last year, we covered Bloomberg's summary of the 2011 structured product market by noting that almost "$45.5 billion worth of SEC registered structured products were sold in the US in 2011, down only slightly from $49.4 billion in 2010." In 2012, 7,909 notes totaling just over $39 billion worth of SEC registered structured products were sold in the US -- a decrease of nearly 15%.
Interest rate products continued their decline in popularity with a decrease of almost 30% from 2011 to 2012....
