Chandy Smith

Founded in 1986 by Michelle Clayman, New Amsterdam Partners LLC is a registered investment advisor located in New York City. The firm serves a diverse range of institutional clients, including public funds, corporate pensions, Taft-Hartley accounts, registered investment companies (mutual funds), foundations, and endowments. They also manage assets for several sponsors of wrap fee programs, as well as high net-worth individuals.

CIBC World Markets is a full-service investment bank headquartered in New York City. CIBC provides an internationally integrated research product through three primary strategies. In the US, the firm provides research coverage available in areas of focus, including technology, telecommunications, healthcare, energy, power generation and technology, financial institutions, consumer growth, real estate and media. In Canada, the firm offers the full spectrum of coverage for all of the sectors that form the TSE 300 Index. Their broad investment grade analysis of return bond Indices provides daily performance of the Canadian bond market. The sectors covered are: government of Canada bonds, provincial and municipal bonds and corporate bonds rated AAA/AA, A and BBB. Also available is a monthly ABS/MBS market report that provides information on ABS market conditions, market summary data and monthly performance reports on outstanding transactions. This report includes information about the MBS market, including key statistics on MBS spreads and prepayments. Another report contains MBS trading data, cash flows and other key data. A separate monthly Portfolio Valuation Report provides month end pricing for ABS and MBS transactions. Corporate debt research produces highly targeted credit analysis and research for investment grade and high yield debt securities. The corporate bond review covers bond market action, new issues, price/yield movements, rating changes, and buy/sell recommendations. The fixed-income research group produces actionable fundamental and technical analysis, strategies, products, and runs bond indexes and quantitative models relating specifically to fixed income markets, bond portfolios, and individual securities. CIBC provides risk management solutions to corporations, investors, financial institutions, and governments across all asset classes: interest rates, equities, credit, currency, and commodities. CIBC World Markets is a subsidiary of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.