medium · Corporate Credit Analysis

A credit analyst observes a 'positive basis' on a corporate name, where the 5-year CDS spread is 150 bp and the cash bond Z-spread is 100 bp.

What does this 'basis' of +50 bp most likely signal?

  1. The market currently believes this corporate bond issuer is about to receive an upgrade soon.
  2. Technicals or funding costs make it relatively more expensive to buy protection than to hold the bond.
  3. The underlying cash bond is significantly more liquid and easily traded than the corresponding CDS contract.
  4. A massive short squeeze is currently occurring and distorting prices across the cash bond market right now.

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