Guggenheim Macro Markets

Episode 76: Why and Where (and How) to Invest in Asset-Backed Finance

Nov 4, 2025
Karthik Narayanan, Head of Structured Credit at Guggenheim Investments, shares insights on the intriguing world of asset-backed finance. He discusses the continuous appeal of structured credit, highlighting factors like complexity premium and credit diversity. Karthik dives into the attractive yields in commercial ABS sectors and elaborates on the opportunities in non-agency RMBS. He emphasizes the importance of rigorous analysis and ongoing surveillance in managing these investments, providing a glimpse into the daily life of a structured credit analyst.
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INSIGHT

Attractive Yields In Specialty ABS

  • Specialty ABS issuance includes digital infrastructure, royalties, and aircraft-backed deals with mid-5% yields for investment-grade tranches.
  • Non-syndicated, one-off investment-grade deals can yield 6–6.75% on similar maturities.
INSIGHT

RMBS Is Smaller But Compelling

  • The non‑agency RMBS market is much smaller than pre‑GFC, reflecting stricter underwriting and rating criteria.
  • Current non‑agency RMBS yields ~5.5% with short average maturities, offering attractive spread vs. corporates.
ADVICE

Favor Defensive CLO Tranches

  • In CLOs favor single-A and double-A tranches to limit idiosyncratic and spread-duration risk.
  • These tranches offer 5.5–6.5% yields and require extreme default scenarios to impair principal.
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