Bearish Patterns
Equal participation in a credit
The ability to participate equally often depends on being included in the loop. Equal access to information is necessary to ensure a level playing field between partners. If certain members of the partnership have exclusive access to information, it’s incumbent on them to share it. They should make a point of including the other partners by forwarding copies, making memos, or instituting regular reporting regimens. Sharing information starts the process of building trust. If one partner hoards information, it sends a message of control, manipulation, and secrecy. It erodes confidence and destroys trust in the partnership. Another reason for sharing as much information as possible is that the “owner” of the data may get a new understanding of the information by having others look at it. If partners truly share mutual interests, what reason could there be to withhold relevant information from a partner?
Introduction to credit operating leverage
For the last couple of years the broad economy has experienced an extraordinarily high level of operating leverage and consequently since 2000, companies have cut costs. The best evidence of that elevated level of operating leverage is the very low rate of industrial capacity utilization. Despite the modest improvement since 2001, utilization is still at levels not seen since the 1982 recession. On the one hand, that is a sign that businesses continue to suffer from overcapacity. Looked at it another way, however, the low-but-improving rate of capacity utilization is an indication that profits may grow above average in the future.