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Investing in Junk Bonds: Inside the High Yield Debt Market Investing in Junk Bonds: Inside the High Yield Debt Market
By Edward I. Altman and Scott Nammacher
2003/01 - Beard Books
1587981556 - Paperback - Reprint -  272  pp.
US$34.95

An especially informative book for all new investors, but just as useful for the seasoned professional.

Publisher Comments

Category: Banking & Finance | Bankruptcy & Restructuring

This title is part of the Business Histories and Vulture Investing  list.

Of Interest:

Bankruptcy & Distressed Restructurings: Analytical Issues and Investment Opportunities

Bankruptcy Investing: How to Profit from Distressed Companies

Distressed Investment Banking: To the Abyss and Back 

Distressed Securities: Analyzing and Evaluating Market Potential and Investment Risk

Inside Investment Banking: Second Edition

The First Junk Bond: A Story of Corporate Boom and Bust

The High-Yield Debt Market: Investment Performance and Economic Impact

This is a reprint of one of the first comprehensive books on the rise and operation of the high yield debt market as illustrated by the “junk” bond. Published 15 years ago, this classic volume is still relevant in today's challenging market. Among the concepts discussed are expected yields; realized returns; default experience; market growth and size; credit quality trends; related mutual fund results and portfolio holdings; mergers/acquisitions and takeovers; new issue and issuer characteristics; underwriter strategies; and developing investment strategies, particularly using an objective credit model.

From the back cover blurb:

Written by the preeminent academic authority on high yield bonds and co-authored by a highly respected and experienced practitioner, this is a reprint of one of the first comprehensive books on the rise and operation of the high yield debt market as illustrated by the "junk" bond. Published 15 years ago, this classic volume is still relevant in today's challenging market. Among the concepts discussed are: expected yields; realized returns; default experience; market growth and size, credit quality trends, related mutual fund results and portfolio holdings; mergers/acquisitions and takeovers; new issue and issuer characteristics; underwriter standings; and developing investment strategies, particularly using an objective credit model. The development of portfolios is a subject of analysis. 

From Book News:

Originally printed in 1987, this book examines the rise and operation of the high-yield debt market typified by the junk bond. It discusses expected yields, realized returns, default, market growth, credit quality, mergers and acquisitions, investment strategies, and related topics. Altman teaches finance at New York University. Nanmacher is a consultant. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

From Amazon.Com:

The first comprehensive guide to the burgeoning, new high-yield debt or ``junk bond'' market. Edward Altman and Scott Nammacher, leading experts on debt financing and co-developers of the Zeta model for predicting business failure, offer sophisticated investors a complete analysis of the high-yield bond market, its anatomy, history, participants, risks and returns. With Altman and Nammacher's Zeta model, investors can gauge the safety of an issue before they commit. This book helps private investors and mutual fund, pension, bank, and insurance money managers make sure their junk bonds don't live up to the name. 

From Amazon.Com:

Details the rise and operation of the high yield debt market as illustrated by the "junk" bond.

Edward I. Altman received an M.B.A and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Altman is the Max L. Heine Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business, New York University. He has an international reputation as an expert on corporate bankruptcy, high yield bonds, distressed debt, and credit risk analysis. He has been visiting Professor abroad and has received several international awards. Dr. Altman is one of the founders and an Executive Editor of the Journal of Banking and Finance, has authored or edited over twenty books, and has written more than one hundred articles for scholarly finance, accounting and economic journals.

Other Beard Books by Edward Altman:

Scott A. Nammacher holds a B.S. degree in Business from the University of Minnesota and a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University. He is a Principal and Managing Director of Empire Valuation Consultants, Inc., where he has worked since 1992. Mr. Nammacher has had extensive experience in financial consulting, business valuations, and acquisitions/divestitures. He has testified as an expert witness in a number of court cases, including litigation regarding a high-yield bond portfolio and has authored a number of articles on "junk" bonds.

1. INTRODUCING THE HIGH YIELD DEBT MARKET 1
High Yield Debt --- What Is It? 1
Why Is It Called Junk? 3
Why Has This Market Grown and Who's Involved? 5
Recent Issues and Regulations 7
Objectives and Recommendations 8
2. THE ANATOMY OF THE HIGH YIELD DEBT MARKET 11
Growth of the Market 11
Interest Rates and Returns 12
Size and Growth in High Yield Debt 19
New Issues, 1978-1984 21
1985: A Record New Issue Year? Yes and No 25
1986: Prospects for a New Record Year 29
Fallen Angels versus Original Issue High Yield Debt 30
Exchange Debt 33
3. NEW ISSUER CHARACTERISTICS AND UNDERWRITINGS 39
New Issue High Yield Debt 39
The Typical New High Yield Bond Issuer 40
Underwriters 45
Gross Underwriting Spread Trends and Estimation 47
4. INVESTOR ATTRACTIONS: MUTUAL FUNDS AND OTHER INVESTOR ACTIVITIES 54
High Yield Debt and the Individual Investor 57
High Yield Attractions 58
Major Institutional Investors 63
Other Institutional Investors 95
5. DEFAULT RATES ON HIGH YIELD DEBT 103
Summary of Findings 103
What Base to Use 105
The Results 109
Impact on Annual Returns 127
Comparing Default Rates with Returns 130
Bond and Industry Characteristics of Defaulting Firms 130
Corporate Debt Defaults and Business Failures 141
Concluding Comments 143
6. ASSESSING CREDIT QUALITY AND DEFAULT RISKS 145
Importance of Credit Quality 145
Credit Evaluation Techniques 146
7. MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS --- RECENT EXPERIENCE AND LEVERAGE ISSUES 165
The Recent Activity 166
Leveraged Buyouts 171
Impact on Pretransaction Investors 173
Investor Reaction to Corporate Restructurings 179
High Yield Debt's Roles 181
Hostile Takeovers and Regulatory Changes 186
Investor Implications for the Future 188
8. PORTFOLIO STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH YIELD DEBT MARKET  191
Performance Measurement Questions 191
Summary of Results 192
Database Properties 193
Portfolio Construction and Comparison Tests 193
Benchmark Portfolios 194
Portfolio Returns Over the Study Period 194
Returns and Yield Spreads 197
9. TESTING OF INVESTMENT STRATEGIES 207
Issues in Risk-Return Measurement 208
Annual Risk-Return Results 213
Zeta Strategies 214
Significance Testing 218
Difference in Means Tests 218
An Additional Mean-Difference Test 222
Discussion of Results 223
Portfolio Returns Adjusted for Duration 223
Viable Portfolio Strategies 229
Some Preliminary Recent Results Using Zeta 230
High Yield --- High Default Risk Portfolios 230
High Yield --- High Quality Portfolios --- A Concluding Note 231
APPENDIX 1. DATA BASE CHARACTERISTICS AND CALCULATIONS 233
APPENDIX 2. CONTRIBUTION OF TOTAL RETURN FROM COUPON (C) AND PRICE CHANGES (P) 239
APPENDIX 3. DURATION AND ZERO COUPON BOND EQUIVALENCY 241
REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 247
INDEX 251

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