“A lot of treasurers are now thinking that at some point we’re going to see an increase in these rates, and that point is getting closer and closer,” said Anthony Carfang, partner at Treasury Strategies Inc., which advises corporate treasurers. For treasurers that hold long-dated assets, “they don’t want to get caught holding a ten-year note with a 2% market rate when rates jump.”
Still, with yields low in nearly every asset class, most corporate treasurers are still thinking about how to re-position cash portfolios and only a handful have “pulled the trigger” on making more aggressive investments and are waiting for spreads to materially widen, Mr. Carfang said.