BIMINI CAPITAL MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2022 RESULTS
VERO
BEACH,
Fla.,
(August
11,
2022)
–
Bimini
Capital
Management,
Inc.
(OTCQB:
BMNM),
(“Bimini
Capital,”
“Bimini,”
or
the
“Company”), today announced results of operations for the three-month period
ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights
●
Net loss of $1.2 million, or $0.11 per common share
●
Book value per share of $2.66
●
Company to discuss results on Friday, August 12, 2022, at 10:00 AM ET
Management Commentary
Commenting on the second quarter results, Robert E. Cauley,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “During the
latter part of the
second quarter of 2022 inflation data
drove a material change in Fed
policy, interest rates and the outlook for the economy.
Specifically,
the CPI for May, released in
June, was far above
market expectations.
Survey measures of inflation
expectations, released on the
same
day, surged to
multi-decade highs. In July,
the June CPI reading was released and was
again well above market expectations. Equally
troubling, elevated inflation readings were very broad based, implying inflationary pressures have clearly spread from just those sectors
most exposed to
COVID-19 related supply
constraints. This was
the catalyst for
the Fed to
pivot even more
forcefully than they
did during
late 2021/early 2022, demonstrated by the Fed increasing the
Fed Funds rate by 200 basis points collectively at
the May, June and July
meetings.
The market expects the Fed to continuing raising the Fed Funds rate by another 100 basis points by year-end.
Increases in
the Fed Funds rate are likely to affect economic activity,
and the Fed has acknowledged their actions may lead to a recession.
Sectors
of the economy most sensitive to interest rates – such as housing – have
already started to slow.
“The market appears
to anticipate the
Fed will be
able to contain
inflation and that
the result will
be a contraction
in economic growth.
This is reflected in
yields for longer-term U.S.
Treasuries. With the
Fed expected to increase
the Fed Funds rate
by another 100 basis
points or more, shorter maturity U.S.
Treasuries remain elevated, with the yield on the 2-year
U.S. Treasury Note yielding approximately
3.23% on August 10,
2022.
The combined effect –
more increases to the
Fed Funds rate, and
the presumption inflation will ultimately
be contained by the Fed - albeit potentially at the expense of a recession, has caused the yield curve to invert whereby shorter maturity
U.S. Treasuries
yield more than
long-term U.S. Treasuries.
This condition may
persist for the
balance of 2022
and into 2023.
These
developments
were detrimental to the performance
of Agency MBS securities and
as the quarter came to
an end the current coupon 30-
year fixed rate mortgage – a widely referenced benchmark – was trading
at very wide spreads to comparable duration treasuries – and
nearly as wide as the spreads seen during March of 2020 when the financial
markets where at the peak of their distress.
“Given these
developments in the
fixed income
markets and the
poor performance of
Agency MBS in
particular Orchid Island
Capital
reported a
second quarter
2022 loss
of $60.1
million and
its shareholders
equity declined
from $592.4
million to
$506.4 million.
The
market conditions
described above
drove the
loss as
agency MBS
underperformed comparable
duration treasuries
and the
Orchid’s
hedge positions. The decline
in shareholders equity may
lead to reduced management
fees at Bimini Advisors
in the near-term since the
management fees are
a function of
Orchid’s equity.
Orchid also reduced
its monthly
dividend twice during
the first quarter
so monthly
dividend revenues on
the Company’s approximately
2.5 million shares declined
from approximately $402.3 thousand
to approximately
$350.4 thousand during the second
quarter. Orchid, like Bimini, will focus on
weathering the current market
conditions and looks forward
to capitalizing on the attractive returns that historically have become available
as markets settle.