So Long BAX Model. You’ve Had A Good Run.

The Great Financial Crisis of 2008 laid bare the destabilizing potential of basis risk between Canadian Bankers' Acceptance rates and/or Three-Month Canadian Bankers' Acceptance Futures (BAX) and a truly risk free rate. After 15 years and much effort, market inertia has finally been overcome and it is time to replace BAX contracts with the ascendant Three-Month CORRA Futures (CRA) contracts in various models.

READ ARTICLE

Related Articles

  • February 24, 2025
    Investors regularly ask us how to calculate the fair value of rolling from the active to new contract for various physical delivery fixed income contracts listed on Montréal Exchange. We discuss here why a complete calculation is unsettlingly complex but suggest that, for most investors, a simplified, option-free, fair value calculation is probably adequate.
    March 24, 2025
    The Canadian interest rate markets entered a new phase as CORRA Futures replaced the traditional BAX contracts. In this edition, our updated "BAX Spaghetti" chart illustrates this transition, revealing how the new CRA contracts are performing in today's market environment. As trade tensions create market uncertainty, we examine whether the era of "easy money" in rolldown trading might be ending, and what this means for market participants adapting to Canada's evolving financial landscape.
  • May 6, 2025
    A historic shift is occurring in the long-standing economic relationship between Canada and the United States. While mean reversion trades between the two economies have been reliable in the past, this traditional correlation is slowly unwinding after 30-40 years of close ties. This decoupling, though gradual, signals fundamental changes in trade patterns, bond market correlations, and cross-currency relationships.