JEF 10K 11.30.16 Combined Document
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
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ý | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2016
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¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 1-14947
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware | 95-4719745 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York | 10022 |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 284-2550
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of each class: | | Name of each exchange on which registered: |
5.125% Senior Notes Due 2023 | | New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Limited Liability Company Interests
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 232.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☐ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No ý
State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter. $0 as of May 31, 2016.
The Registrant is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation and meets the conditions set forth in General Instructions I(1)(a) and (b) of Form 10-K and is therefore filing this Form 10-K with a reduced disclosure format as permitted by Instruction I(2).
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC
INDEX TO QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-K
November 30, 2016
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
PART I
Item 1. Business
Introduction
Jefferies Group LLC and its subsidiaries operate as a global full service, integrated securities and investment banking firm. Our largest subsidiary, Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), was founded in the U.S. in 1962 and our first international operating subsidiary, Jefferies International Limited (“Jefferies Europe”), was established in the U.K. in 1986. On March 1, 2013, we became an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation (“Leucadia”) (referred to herein as the “Leucadia Transaction”). Richard Handler, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, is Leucadia’s Chief Executive Officer and Brian P. Friedman, our Chairman of the Executive Committee, is Leucadia’s President. Messrs. Handler and Friedman are also Leucadia Directors. We are an SEC reporting company and retain a credit rating separate from Leucadia.
At November 30, 2016, we had 3,329 employees in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Our global headquarters and executive offices are located at 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022. We also have regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. Our primary telephone number is (212) 284-2550 and our Internet address is jefferies.com.
The following documents and reports are available on our public website:
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• | Earnings Releases and Other Public Announcements |
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• | Annual and interim reports on Form 10-K; |
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• | Quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; |
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• | Current reports on Form 8-K; |
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• | Reportable waivers, if any, from our Code of Ethics by our executive officers; |
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• | Board of Directors Corporate Governance Guidelines; |
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• | Charter of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors; |
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• | Charter of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors; |
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• | Charter of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors; and |
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• | Any amendments to the above-mentioned documents and reports. |
We expect to use our website as a main form of communication of significant news. We encourage you to visit our website for additional information. In addition, you may also obtain a printed copy of any of the above documents or reports by sending a request to Investor Relations, Jefferies Group LLC, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by calling 221-284-2550 or by sending an email to info@jefferies.com.
Business Segments
We report our activities in two business segments: Capital Markets and Asset Management.
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• | Capital Markets includes our investment banking, sales and trading and other related services. Investment banking provides capital markets and financial advisory services to our clients across most industry sectors in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Our sales and trading businesses include market-making, sales and financing across the spectrum of equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products. Related services include, among other things, prime brokerage, research and corporate lending. |
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• | Asset Management provides investment management services to investors in the U.S. and overseas. |
Financial information regarding our reportable business segments for the years ended November 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 is set forth in Note 20, Segment Reporting in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K in Part II, Item 8.
Our Businesses
Capital Markets
Our Capital Markets segment focuses on Equities, Fixed Income and Investment Banking. We primarily serve institutional investors, corporations and government entities.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Equities
Equities Research, Sales and Trading
We provide our clients full-service equities research, sales and trading capabilities across global securities markets. We earn commissions or spread revenue by executing, settling and clearing transactions for clients across these markets in equity and equity-related products, including common stock, American depository receipts, global depository receipts, exchange-traded funds, exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) equity derivatives, convertible and other equity-linked products and closed-end funds. Our equity research, sales and trading efforts are organized across three geographical regions: the Americas; Europe and the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); and Asia Pacific. Our main product lines within the regions are cash equities, electronic trading, equity derivatives and convertibles. Our clients are primarily institutional market participants such as mutual funds, hedge funds, investment advisors, pension and profit sharing plans and insurance companies. Through our global research team and sales force, we maintain relationships with our clients, distribute investment research and strategy, trading ideas, market information and analyses across a range of industries and receive and execute client orders. Our equity research covers over 2,000 companies around the world and a further nearly 700 companies are covered by nine leading local firms in Asia Pacific with whom we maintain alliances.
Equity Finance
Our Equity Finance business provides financing, securities lending and other prime brokerage services. We offer prime brokerage services in the U.S. that provide hedge funds, money managers and registered investment advisors with execution, financing, clearing, reporting and administrative services. We finance our clients’ securities positions through margin loans that are collateralized by securities, cash or other acceptable liquid collateral. We earn an interest spread equal to the difference between the amount we pay for funds and the amount we receive from our clients. We also operate a matched book in equity and corporate bond securities, whereby we borrow and lend securities versus cash or liquid collateral and earn a net interest spread. We offer selected prime brokerage clients the option of custodying their assets at an unaffiliated U.S. broker-dealer that is a subsidiary of a bank holding company. Under this arrangement, we directly provide our clients with all customary prime brokerage services.
Wealth Management
We provide tailored wealth management services designed to meet the needs of high net worth individuals, their families and their businesses, private equity and venture funds and small institutions. Our advisors provide access to all of our institutional execution capabilities and deliver other financial services. Our open architecture platform affords clients access to products and services from both our firm and from a variety of other major financial services institutions.
Fixed Income
Fixed Income Sales and Trading
We provide our clients with sales and trading of investment grade corporate bonds, U.S. and European government and agency securities, municipal bonds, mortgage- and asset-backed securities, leveraged loans, high yield and distressed securities, emerging markets debt, interest rate derivative products, as well as foreign exchange trade execution. Jefferies is designated as a Primary Dealer by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Jefferies International Limited is designated in similar capacities for several countries in Europe. Additionally, through the use of repurchase agreements, we act as an intermediary between borrowers and lenders of short-term funds and obtain funding for various of our inventory positions. We trade and make markets globally in cleared and uncleared swaps and forwards referencing, among other things, interest rates, investment grade and non-investment grade corporate credits, credit indexes and asset-backed security indexes.
Our strategists and economists provide ongoing commentary and analysis of the global fixed income markets. In addition, our fixed income desk strategists provide ideas and analysis across a variety of fixed income products.
Futures
In April 2015 we entered into a definitive agreement to transfer certain of our futures activities to Société Générale S.A. That transaction closed in the second quarter of 2015 and we completed the exit of our Futures business during the second quarter of 2016.
Investment Banking
We provide our clients around the world with a full range of equity capital markets, debt capital markets and financial advisory services. Our services are enhanced by our deep industry expertise, our global distribution capabilities and our senior level commitment to our clients.
Approximately 760 investment banking professionals operate in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and are organized into industry, product and geographic coverage groups. Our industry coverage groups include: Consumer & Retail, Energy, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Industrials, Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Financial Sponsors and
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Public Finance. Our product coverage groups include equity capital markets, debt capital markets, and advisory, which includes both mergers and acquisitions and restructuring and recapitalization expertise. Our geographic coverage groups include coverage teams based in major cities in the United States, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Stockholm, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
Equity Capital Markets
We provide a broad range of equity financing capabilities to companies and financial sponsors. These capabilities include private equity placements, initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, block trades and equity-linked convertible securities transactions.
Debt Capital Markets
We provide a wide range of debt and acquisition financing capabilities for companies, financial sponsors and government entities. We focus on structuring, underwriting and distributing public and private debt, including investment grade debt, high yield bonds, leveraged loans, municipal debt, mortgage and other asset-backed securities, and liability management solutions.
Advisory Services
We provide mergers and acquisition and restructuring and recapitalization services to companies, financial sponsors and government entities. In the mergers and acquisition area, we advise sellers and buyers on corporate sales and divestitures, acquisitions, mergers, tender offers, spinoffs, joint ventures, strategic alliances and takeover and proxy fight defense. In the restructuring and recapitalization area, we provide to companies, bondholders and lenders a full range of restructuring advisory capabilities as well as expertise in the structuring, valuation and placement of securities issued in recapitalizations.
Asset Management
Through Jefferies Investment Advisers, LLC (“JIA”) and partnerships with Leucadia Asset Management, LLC (“LAM”), we manage and provide services to a diverse group of alternative asset management platforms across a spectrum of investment strategies and asset classes. We are supporting and developing focused strategies managed by distinct management teams. Strategies currently offered by JIA to pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors through these platforms include systematic quant and global equity event-driven.
Leucadia has made investments in certain managed accounts and funds managed by these programs and, accordingly, a portion of the net results are allocated directly to Leucadia.
Competition
All aspects of our business are intensely competitive. We compete primarily with large global bank holding companies that engage in capital markets activities, but also with firms listed in the NYSE Arca Securities Broker/Dealer Index, other brokers and dealers, and investment banking firms. The large global bank holding companies have substantially greater capital and resources than we do. We believe that the principal factors affecting our competitive standing include the quality, experience and skills of our professionals, the depth of our relationships, the breadth of our service offerings, our ability to deliver consistently our integrated capabilities, and our culture, tenacity and commitment to serve our clients.
Regulation
Regulation in the United States. The financial services industry in which we operate is subject to extensive regulation. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is the federal agency responsible for the administration of federal securities laws, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) is the federal agency responsible for the administration of laws relating to commodity interests (including futures and swaps). In addition, self-regulatory organizations, principally Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and the National Futures Association (“NFA”), are actively involved in the regulation of financial services businesses. The SEC, CFTC and self-regulatory organizations conduct periodic examinations of broker-dealers, investment advisers, futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) and swap dealers. The applicable self-regulatory authority for Jefferies’ activities as a broker-dealer is FINRA, and the applicable self-regulatory authority for Jefferies’ FCM activities is the National Futures Association (“NFA”). Financial services businesses are also subject to regulation by state securities commissions and attorneys general in those states in which they do business.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Broker-dealers are subject to SEC and FINRA regulations that cover all aspects of the securities business, including sales and trading methods, trade practices among broker-dealers, use and safekeeping of customers’ funds and securities, capital structure of securities firms, anti-money laundering efforts, recordkeeping and the conduct of directors, officers and employees. Registered advisors are subject to, among other requirements, SEC regulations concerning marketing, transactions with affiliates, disclosure to clients, and recordkeeping; and advisors that are also registered as commodity trading advisors or commodity pool operators are also subject to regulation by the CFTC and the NFA. FCMs, introducing brokers and swap dealers that engage in commodities, futures or swap transactions are subject to regulation by the CFTC and the NFA. Additional legislation, changes in rules promulgated by the SEC, CFTC and self-regulatory organizations, or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules may directly affect the operations and profitability of broker-dealers, investment advisers, FCMs and swap dealers. The SEC, the CFTC, self-regulatory organizations, state securities commissions and state attorneys general may conduct administrative proceedings or initiate civil litigation that can result in censure, fine, suspension, expulsion of a firm, its officers or employees, or revocation of a firm’s licenses.
Regulatory Capital Requirements. Several of our entities are subject to financial capital requirements that are set by regulation. Jefferies and Jefferies Execution Services, Inc. (“Jefferies Execution”), are registered broker-dealers and are subject to the SEC’s Uniform Net Capital Rule (the “Net Capital Rule”). Jefferies and Jefferies Execution have elected to compute their minimum net capital requirement in accordance with the “Alternative Net Capital Requirement” as permitted by the Net Capital Rule, which provides that a broker-dealer shall not permit its net capital, as defined, to be less than the greater of 2% of its aggregate debit balances (primarily customer-related receivables) or $250,000 ($1.5 million for prime brokers). Compliance with the Net Capital Rule could limit operations of our broker-dealers, such as underwriting and trading activities, that could require the use of significant amounts of capital, and may also restrict their ability to make loans, advances, dividends and other payments.
Jefferies is also registered as an FCM and is therefore subject to the minimum financial requirements for FCMs set by the CFTC. Jefferies as an FCM is required to maintain minimum net capital being the greater of $1.0 million or its risk-based capital requirements computed as 8% of the total risk margin requirements for positions carried by the FCM in customer accounts and non-customer accounts. Jefferies, as a dually registered broker-dealer and FCM, is required to maintain net capital in excess of the greater of the SEC or CFTC minimum financial requirements.
Our subsidiaries that are registered swap dealers will become subject to capital requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act once the relevant rules become final. For additional information see Item 1A. Risk Factors - “Recent legislation and new and pending regulation may significantly affect our business.”
Jefferies Group LLC is not subject to any regulatory capital rules.
See Net Capital within Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis and Note 19, Net Capital Requirements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of net capital calculations.
Regulation outside the United States. We are an active participant in the international capital markets and provide investment banking services internationally, primarily in Europe and Asia. As is true in the U.S., our subsidiaries are subject to extensive regulations proposed, promulgated and enforced by, among other regulatory bodies, the European Commission and European Supervisory Authorities (including the European Banking Authority and European Securities and Market Authority), U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Japan Financial Services Agency and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Every country in which we do business imposes upon us laws, rules and regulations similar to those in the U.S., including with respect to some form of capital adequacy rules, customer protection rules, data protection regulations, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery rules, compliance with other applicable trading and investment banking regulations and similar regulatory reform. For additional information see Item 1A. Risk Factors - “Extensive international regulation of our business limits our activities, and, if we violate these regulations, we may be subject to significant penalties.”
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Factors Affecting Our Business
The following factors describe some of the assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors that could adversely affect our business or that could otherwise result in changes that differ materially from our expectations. In addition to the specific factors mentioned in this report, we may also be affected by other factors that affect businesses generally such as global or regional changes in economic, business or political conditions, acts of war, terrorism and natural disasters.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Recent legislation and new and pending regulation may significantly affect our business.
In recent years, there has been significant legislation and increased regulation affecting the financial services industry. These legislative and regulatory initiatives affect not only us, but also our competitors and certain of our clients. These changes could have an effect on our revenue and profitability, limit our ability to pursue certain business opportunities, impact the value of assets that we hold, require us to change certain business practices, impose additional costs on us and otherwise adversely affect our business. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that legislation and regulation will not eventually have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Many of these new laws and rules are the result of commitments made since 2008 by leaders of the G-20 nations to reduce the systemic risk arising from financial derivatives. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and the rules and regulations adopted and to be adopted by the SEC and CFTC introduce a comprehensive regulatory regime for swaps and security-based swaps and parties that deal in such swaps and security-based swaps. Two of our subsidiaries are registered as swap dealers with the CFTC and are members of the NFA. We may also register one or more additional subsidiaries as security-based swap dealers with the SEC in the future. Title VII and related impending regulations subject certain swaps and security-based swaps to clearing and exchange trading requirements and subject swap dealers and security-based swap dealers to significant new burdens. We have already incurred significant compliance and operational costs as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, and when all the final rules contemplated by Title VII have been implemented, our swap dealer entities will also be subject to mandatory capital and margin requirements that will likely have an effect on our business. While there continues to be uncertainty about the full impact of these changes, we will continue to be subject to a more complex regulatory framework, and will incur costs to comply with new requirements as well as to monitor for compliance in the future.
Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act (Volcker Rule) limits certain proprietary trading by banking entities such as banks, bank holding companies and similar institutions. Although we are not a banking entity and are not otherwise subject to these rules, some of our clients and many of our counterparties are banks or entities affiliated with banks and are subject to these restrictions. The effects of the Volcker Rule and related regulations on the depth, liquidity and pricing in swaps and securities markets has yet to be completely assessed. Negative effects could result from an expansive extraterritorial application of the Dodd-Frank Act in general or the Volcker Rule in particular and/or insufficient international coordination with respect to adoption of rules for derivatives and other financial reforms in other jurisdictions.
In addition, the scope, timing and final implementation of regulatory reform, including as a result of the recent U.S. presidential and congressional elections, is uncertain and could negatively impact our business.
Extensive international regulation of our business limits our activities, and, if we violate these regulations, we may be subject to significant penalties.
The financial services industry is subject to extensive laws, rules and regulations in every country in which we operate. Firms that engage in securities and derivatives trading, wealth and asset management and investment banking must comply with the laws, rules and regulations imposed by national and state governments and regulatory and self-regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over such activities. Such laws, rules and regulations cover all aspects of the financial services business, including, but not limited to, sales and trading methods, trade practices, use and safekeeping of customers’ funds and securities, capital structure, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery and corruption efforts, recordkeeping and the conduct of directors, officers and employees.
Each of our regulators supervises our business activities to monitor compliance with such laws, rules and regulations in the relevant jurisdiction. In addition, if there are instances in which our regulators question our compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, they may investigate the facts and circumstances to determine whether we have complied. At any moment in time, we may be subject to one or more such investigation or similar reviews. At this time, all such investigations and similar reviews are insignificant in scope and immaterial to us. However, there can be no assurance that, in the future, the operations of our businesses will not violate such laws, rules, or regulations and such investigations and similar reviews will not result in adverse regulatory requirements, regulatory enforcement actions and/or fines.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (“EMIR”) relating to derivatives was enacted in August 2012 and, in common with the Dodd-Frank Act in the U.S., is intended, among other things, to reduce counterparty risk by requiring standardized over-the-counter derivatives be cleared through a central counterparty and reported to registered trade repositories and making uncleared OTC derivatives subject to mandatory margining. EMIR is being introduced in phases in the European Union (including the U.K.), with implementation of additional requirements expected through 2019. The European Union finalized the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation and a revision of the Market in Financial Instruments Directive, both of which are expected to become effective in January 2018. These give effect to the commitments of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, including new market structure-related, reporting, investor protection-related and organizational requirements, requirements on pre- and post-trade transparency, requirements to use certain venues when trading financial instruments (which includes certain derivative instruments), requirements affecting the way investment managers can obtain research, powers of regulators to impose position limits and provisions on regulatory sanctions. The European Union is also currently considering or executing upon significant revisions to laws covering: resolution of banks, investment firms and market infrastructure; administration of financial benchmarks; credit rating activities; anti-money-laundering controls; data security and privacy; remuneration principles and proportionality; disclosures under the Basel regime aiming to increase market transparency and consistency and corporate governance in financial firms.
Additional legislation, changes in rules, changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules, or the entering into businesses that subject us to new rules and regulations may directly affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We continue to monitor the impact of new U.S. and international regulation on our businesses.
Changing financial, economic and political conditions could result in decreased revenues, losses or other adverse consequences.
As a global securities and investment banking firm, global or regional changes in the financial markets or economic and political conditions could adversely affect our business in many ways, including the following:
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• | A market downturn could lead to a decline in the volume of transactions executed for customers and, therefore, to a decline in the revenues we receive from commissions and spreads. |
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• | Unfavorable conditions or changes in general political, economic or market conditions, including general uncertainty regarding the U.S. economic environment as a result of the recent U.S. presidential election, could reduce the number and size of transactions in which we provide underwriting, financial advisory and other services. Our investment banking revenues, in the form of financial advisory and sales and trading or placement fees, are directly related to the number and size of the transactions in which we participate and could therefore be adversely affected by unfavorable financial, economic or political conditions. |
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• | Adverse changes in the market could lead to losses from principal transactions and inventory positions. |
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• | Adverse changes in the market could also lead to a reduction in revenues from asset management fees and investment income from managed funds and losses on our own capital invested in managed funds. Even in the absence of a market downturn, below-market investment performance by our funds and portfolio managers could reduce asset management revenues and assets under management and result in reputational damage that might make it more difficult to attract new investors. |
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• | Limitations on the availability of credit can affect our ability to borrow on a secured or unsecured basis, which may adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations. Global market and economic conditions have been particularly disrupted and volatile in the last several years and may be in the future. Our cost and availability of funding could be affected by illiquid credit markets and wider credit spreads. |
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• | New or increased taxes on compensation payments such as bonuses or on balance sheet items may adversely affect our profits. |
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• | Should one of our customers or competitors fail, our business prospects and revenue could be negatively impacted due to negative market sentiment causing customers to cease doing business with us and our lenders to cease loaning us money, which could adversely affect our business, funding and liquidity. |
The U.K.’s exit from the European Union could adversely affect our business.
The referendum held in the U.K. on June 23, 2016 resulted in a determination that the U.K. should exit the European Union. Such an exit from the European Union is unprecedented and it is unclear how the U.K.’s access to the EU Single Market, and the wider trading, legal and regulatory environment in which we, our customers and our counterparties operate, will be impacted and how this will affect our and their businesses and the global macroeconomic environment. The uncertainty surrounding the timing, terms and consequences of the U.K.’s exit could adversely impact customer and investor confidence, result in additional market volatility and adversely affect our businesses, including our revenues from trading and investment banking activities, particularly in Europe, and our results of operations and financial condition.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
We may be adversely affected by changes in U.S. and non-U.S. tax laws in the countries in which we operate.
The U.S. Congress and the Administration have indicated a desire to reform the U.S. corporate income tax. As part of any tax reform, it is possible that the 35 percent corporate income tax rate may be reduced. Additionally, there may be other potential changes including modifying the taxation of income earned outside the U.S., and/or limiting or eliminating various other deductions, credits or tax preferences. At this time, it is not possible to measure the potential impact on the value of Jefferies’ deferred tax assets, business, prospects or results of operations that might result upon enactment.
Unfounded allegations about us could result in extreme price volatility and price declines in our securities and loss of revenue, clients, and employees.
Our reputation and business activity can be affected by statements and actions of third parties, even false or misleading statements by them. In addition, our operations in the past have been impacted as some clients either ceased doing business or temporarily slowed down the level of business they do, thereby decreasing our revenue stream. Although we were able to reverse the negative impact of past unfounded allegations and false rumors, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so successfully in the future and our potential failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and liquidity.
A credit-rating agency downgrade could significantly impact our business.
Maintaining an investment grade credit rating is important to our business and financial condition. We intend to access the capital markets and issue debt securities from time to time; and a decrease in our credit rating would not only increase our borrowing costs, but could also decrease demand for our debt securities and make a successful financing more difficult. In addition, in connection with certain over-the-counter derivative contract arrangements and certain other trading arrangements, we may be required to provide additional collateral to counterparties, exchanges and clearing organizations in the event of a credit rating downgrade. Such a downgrade could also negatively impact our debt-securities prices. There can be no assurance that our credit ratings will not be downgraded.
Our principal trading and investments expose us to risk of loss.
A considerable portion of our revenues is derived from trading in which we act as principal. We may incur trading losses relating to the purchase, sale or short sale of fixed income, high yield, international, convertible, and equity securities and futures and commodities for our own account. In any period, we may experience losses on our inventory positions as a result of the level and volatility of equity, fixed income and commodity prices (including oil prices), lack of trading volume and illiquidity. From time to time, we may engage in a large block trade in a single security or maintain large position concentrations in a single security, securities of a single issuer, securities of issuers engaged in a specific industry, or securities from issuers located in a particular country or region. In general, because our inventory is marked to market on a daily basis, any adverse price movement in these securities could result in a reduction of our revenues and profits. In addition, we may engage in hedging transactions that if not successful, could result in losses.
We may incur losses if our risk management is not effective.
We seek to monitor and control our risk exposure. Our risk management processes and procedures are designed to limit our exposure to acceptable levels as we conduct our business. We apply a comprehensive framework of limits on a variety of key metrics to constrain the risk profile of our business activities. The size of the limit reflects our risk tolerance for a certain activity. Our framework includes inventory position and exposure limits on a gross and net basis, scenario analysis and stress tests, Value-at-Risk, sensitivities, exposure concentrations, aged inventory, amount of Level 3 assets, counterparty exposure, leverage, cash capital, and performance analysis. See Risk Management within Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion. While we employ various risk monitoring and risk mitigation techniques, those techniques and the judgments that accompany their application, including risk tolerance determinations, cannot anticipate every economic and financial outcome or the specifics and timing of such outcomes. As a result, we may incur losses notwithstanding our risk management processes and procedures.
As a holding company, we are dependent for liquidity from payments from our subsidiaries, many of which are subject to restrictions.
As a holding company, we depend on dividends, distributions and other payments from our subsidiaries to fund payments on our obligations, including debt obligations. Many of our subsidiaries, including our broker-dealer subsidiaries, are subject to regulation that restrict dividend payments or reduce the availability of the flow of funds from those subsidiaries to us. In addition, our broker-dealer subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on their ability to lend or transact with affiliates and to minimum regulatory capital requirements.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Increased competition may adversely affect our revenues, profitability and staffing.
All aspects of our business are intensely competitive. We compete directly with a number of bank holding companies and commercial banks, other brokers and dealers, investment banking firms and other financial institutions. In addition to competition from firms currently in the securities business, there has been increasing competition from others offering financial services, including automated trading and other services based on technological innovations. We believe that the principal factors affecting competition involve market focus, reputation, the abilities of professional personnel, the ability to execute the transaction, relative price of the service and products being offered, bundling of products and services and the quality of service. Increased competition or an adverse change in our competitive position could lead to a reduction of business and therefore a reduction of revenues and profits.
Competition also extends to the hiring and retention of highly skilled employees. A competitor may be successful in hiring away employees, which may result in our losing business formerly serviced by such employees. Competition can also raise our costs of hiring and retaining the employees we need to effectively operate our business.
Operational risks may disrupt our business, result in regulatory action against us or limit our growth.
Our businesses are highly dependent on our ability to process, on a daily basis, a large number of transactions across numerous and diverse markets in many currencies, and the transactions we process have become increasingly complex. If any of our financial, accounting or other data processing systems do not operate properly or are disabled or if there are other shortcomings or failures in our internal processes, people or systems, we could suffer an impairment to our liquidity, financial loss, a disruption of our businesses, liability to clients, regulatory intervention or reputational damage. These systems may fail to operate properly or become disabled as a result of events that are wholly or partially beyond our control, including a disruption of electrical or communications services or our inability to occupy one or more of our buildings. The inability of our systems to accommodate an increasing volume of transactions could also constrain our ability to expand our businesses.
Certain of our financial and other data processing systems rely on access to and the functionality of operating systems maintained by third parties. If the accounting, trading or other data processing systems on which we are dependent are unable to meet increasingly demanding standards for processing and security or, if they fail or have other significant shortcomings, we could be adversely affected. Such consequences may include our inability to effect transactions and manage our exposure to risk.
In addition, despite the contingency plans we have in place, our ability to conduct business may be adversely impacted by a disruption in the infrastructure that supports our businesses and the communities in which they are located. This may include a disruption involving electrical, communications, transportation or other services used by us or third parties with which we conduct business.
Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks. Although we take protective measures and devote significant resources to maintaining and upgrading our systems and networks with measures such as intrusion and detection prevention systems, monitoring firewalls to safeguard critical business applications and supervising third party providers that have access to our systems, our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code, and other events that could have a security impact. Additionally, if a client’s computer system, network or other technology is compromised by unauthorized access, we may face losses or other adverse consequences by unknowingly entering into unauthorized transactions. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize our or our clients’ or counterparties’ confidential and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks. Furthermore, such events may cause interruptions or malfunctions in our, our clients’, our counterparties’ or third parties’ operations, including the transmission and execution of unauthorized transactions. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by us. The increased use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices as well as cloud computing may also heighten these and other operational risks. Similar to other firms, we and our third party providers continue to be the subject of attempted unauthorized access, computer viruses and malware, and cyber attacks designed to disrupt or degrade service or cause other damage and denial of service. Additional challenges are posed by external parties, including foreign state actors. There can be no assurance that such unauthorized access or cyber incidents will not occur in the future, and they could occur more frequently and on a larger scale.
We are also subject to laws and regulations relating to the privacy of the information of clients, employees or others, and any failure to comply with these regulations could expose us to liability and/or reputational damage. In addition, our businesses are increasingly subject to laws and regulations relating to surveillance, encryption and data on-shoring in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Compliance with these laws and regulations may require us to change our policies, procedures and technology for information security, which could, among other things, make us more vulnerable to cyber attacks and misappropriation, corruption or loss of information or technology.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
We face numerous risks and uncertainties as we expand our business.
We expect the growth of our business to come primarily from internal expansion and through acquisitions and strategic partnering. As we expand our business, there can be no assurance that our financial controls, the level and knowledge of our personnel, our operational abilities, our legal and compliance controls and our other corporate support systems will be adequate to manage our business and our growth. The ineffectiveness of any of these controls or systems could adversely affect our business and prospects. In addition, as we acquire new businesses and introduce new products, we face numerous risks and uncertainties integrating their controls and systems into ours, including financial controls, accounting and data processing systems, management controls and other operations. A failure to integrate these systems and controls, and even an inefficient integration of these systems and controls, could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Certain business initiatives, including expansions of existing businesses, may bring us into contact directly or indirectly, with individuals and entities that are not within our traditional client and counterparty base and may expose us to new asset classes and new markets. These business activities expose us to new and enhanced risks, greater regulatory scrutiny of these activities, increased credit-related, sovereign and operational risks, and reputational concerns regarding the manner in which these assets are being operated or held.
Legal liability may harm our business.
Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of liability, and in the normal course of business, we have been named as a defendant or codefendant in lawsuits involving primarily claims for damages. The risks associated with potential legal liabilities often may be difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time. The expansion of our business, including increases in the number and size of investment banking transactions and our expansion into new areas impose greater risks of liability. In addition, unauthorized or illegal acts of our employees could result in substantial liability to us. Substantial legal liability could have a material adverse financial effect or cause us significant reputational harm, which in turn could seriously harm our business and our prospects.
Our business is subject to significant credit risk.
In the normal course of our businesses, we are involved in the execution, settlement and financing of various customer and principal securities and derivative transactions. These activities are transacted on a cash, margin or delivery-versus-payment basis and are subject to the risk of counterparty or customer nonperformance. Even when transactions are collateralized by the underlying security or other securities, we still face the risks associated with changes in the market value of the collateral through settlement date or during the time when margin is extended and collateral has not been secured or the counterparty defaults before collateral or margin can be adjusted. We may also incur credit risk in our derivative transactions to the extent such transactions result in uncollateralized credit exposure to our counterparties.
We seek to control the risk associated with these transactions by establishing and monitoring credit limits and by monitoring collateral and transaction levels daily. We may require counterparties to deposit additional collateral or return collateral pledged. In the case of aged securities failed to receive, we may, under industry regulations, purchase the underlying securities in the market and seek reimbursement for any losses from the counterparty. However, there can be no assurances that our risk controls will be successful.
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
We maintain offices in over 30 cities throughout the world. Our principal offices include our global headquarters in New York City, our European headquarters in London and our Asia headquarters in Hong Kong. In addition, we maintain backup data center facilities with redundant technologies for each of our three main data center hubs in Jersey City, London and Hong Kong. We lease all of our office space, or contract via service arrangement, which management believes is adequate for our business.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Many aspects of our business involve substantial risks of legal and regulatory liability. In the normal course of business, we have been named as defendants or co-defendants in lawsuits involving primarily claims for damages. We are also involved in a number of regulatory matters, including exams, investigations and similar reviews, arising out of the conduct of our business. Based on currently available information, we do not believe that any pending matter will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
Omitted pursuant to general instruction I(2)(a) to Form 10-K.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This report contains or incorporates by reference “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward looking statements include statements about our future and statements that are not historical facts. These forward looking statements are usually preceded by the words “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” or similar expressions. Forward looking statements may contain expectations regarding revenues, earnings, operations and other results, and may include statements of future performance, plans and objectives. Forward looking statements also include statements pertaining to our strategies for future development of our business and products. Forward looking statements represent only our belief regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain. It is possible that the actual results may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results indicated in these forward-looking statements. Information regarding important factors that could cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from those in our forward looking statements is contained in this report and other documents we file. You should read and interpret any forward looking statement together with these documents, including the following:
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• | the description of our business contained in this report under the caption “Business”; |
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• | the risk factors contained in this report under the caption “Risk Factors”; |
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• | the discussion of our analysis of financial condition and results of operations contained in this report under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” herein; |
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• | the discussion of our risk management policies, procedures and methodologies contained in this report under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management” herein; |
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• | the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in this report; and |
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• | cautionary statements we make in our public documents, reports and announcements. |
Any forward looking statement speaks only as of the date on which that statement is made. We will not update any forward looking statement to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date on which the statement is made, except as required by applicable law.
The Company’s results of operations for the 12 months ended November 30, 2016 (“2016”), November 30, 2015 (“2015”) and November 30, 2014 (“2014”) are discussed below.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Results of Operations
The following table provides an overview of our consolidated results of operations (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Net revenues | $ | 2,414,614 |
| | $ | 2,475,241 |
| | $ | 2,990,138 |
| | (2.4 | )% | | (17.2 | )% |
Non-interest expenses | 2,384,642 |
| | 2,361,014 |
| | 2,687,117 |
| | 1.0 | % | | (12.1 | )% |
Earnings before income taxes | 29,972 |
| | 114,227 |
| | 303,021 |
| | (73.8 | )% | | (62.3 | )% |
Income tax expense | 14,566 |
| | 18,898 |
| | 142,061 |
| | (22.9 | )% | | (86.7 | )% |
Net earnings | 15,406 |
| | 95,329 |
| | 160,960 |
| | (83.8 | )% | | (40.8 | )% |
Net earnings to noncontrolling interests | (28 | ) | | 1,795 |
| | 3,400 |
| | (101.6 | )% | | (47.2 | )% |
Net earnings attributable to Jefferies Group LLC | 15,434 |
| | 93,534 |
| | 157,560 |
| | (83.5 | )% | | (40.6 | )% |
Effective tax rate | 48.6 | % | | 16.5 | % | | 46.9 | % | | 194.5 | % | | (64.8 | )% |
Executive Summary
2016 Compared with 2015
Consolidated Results
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• | Net revenues for 2016 were $2,414.6 million, compared with $2,475.2 million for 2015, a decrease of $60.6 million, or 2.4%. |
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• | The results for 2016 were impacted by an extremely volatile bear market environment during the first three months of the year, with meaningful improvement over the rest of the year. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2016 declined $292.7 million, or 49.5%, compared to the first quarter of 2015. |
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• | Throughout 2016, we continued to maintain strong leverage ratios, capital base and liquidity. |
Business Results
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• | The decrease in total net revenues for 2016, as compared to 2015, primarily reflects a 17% decline in investment banking net revenues, and lower results in non-core equities net revenues, partially offset by meaningfully increased net revenues in fixed income. |
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• | Lower investment banking results are attributable to lower new issue equity and leveraged finance capital markets revenues, partially offset by higher advisory revenues. Our investment banking results benefited from a record quarter of advisory fees in the fourth quarter of 2016, as well as improvement in our capital markets activity, which began in the late summer of 2016, leading to an increase in new issue transaction volume. |
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• | The increase in fixed income revenues was across most products, as a result of new hires, a reduction in our downside risk profile since mid-2015 and improved market conditions in 2016. 2015 was adversely impacted by lower levels of liquidity and deterioration in the global energy and distressed markets. |
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• | The decline in equities net revenues was primarily attributable to a net loss of $17.9 million recognized during 2016 from our investment in two equity positions, including KCG Holdings, Inc. (“KCG”), compared with a net gain of $49.2 million in 2015 from these two positions. The decline in results was also due to net mark-to-market gains from certain equity inventory positions during 2015, which were not repeated during 2016. Equities revenues also include a net loss of $9.3 million from our share of our Jefferies Finance joint venture in 2016, compared with net revenues of $41.4 million in 2015. |
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• | Net revenues for 2016 included investment income from managed funds of $4.7 million, compared with investment losses from managed funds of $23.8 million in 2015, primarily due to lower valuations in the energy and shipping sectors in 2015. |
Expenses
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• | Non-interest expenses for 2016 increased $23.6 million, or 1.0%, to $2,384.6 million, compared with $2,361.0 million for 2015, reflecting an increase in Compensation and benefits expense, partially offset by a decrease in Non-compensation expenses. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
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• | Compensation and benefits expense for 2016 was $1,568.9 million, an increase of $101.8 million, or 6.9%, from 2015. Compensation and benefits expense as a percentage of Net revenues was 65.0% for 2016 compared with 59.3% in 2015. The increase in the compensation ratio for 2016 as compared to 2015 is primarily due to the composition of revenue by business line in the first quarter of 2016. |
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• | Non-compensation expenses for 2016 were $815.7 million, a decrease of $78.2 million, or 8.7%, from 2015. The decrease in 2016 was due to our exiting the Bache business, which in 2015 generated $127.2 million of non-compensation expenses. There were no meaningful non-compensation expenses related to the Bache business in 2016. This reduction was partially offset by higher technology and professional fees related to investments in our trading platforms. |
Jefferies Bache
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• | On April 9, 2015, we entered into an agreement to transfer certain of the client activities of our Jefferies Bache business to Société Générale S.A. During the second quarter of 2016, we completed the exit of the Futures business. |
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• | Net revenues globally from this business activity, which are included within our fixed income results, and expenses directly related to the Bache business, which are included within non-interest expenses, were $80.2 million and $214.8 million, respectively, for 2015. There were no meaningful revenues or expenses from the Bache business for 2016. |
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• | For further information, refer to Note 22, Exit Costs, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
Headcount
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• | At November 30, 2016, we had 3,329 employees globally, a decrease of 228 employees from our headcount of 3,557 at November 30, 2015. Our headcount decreased, primarily as a result of exiting the Bache business, as well as continued discipline in headcount and productivity management and corporate services outsourcing. |
2015 Compared with 2014
Consolidated Results
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• | Net revenues for 2015 were $2,475.2 million, compared with $2,990.1 million for 2014, a decrease of $514.9 million, or 17.2%. |
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• | The results primarily reflect challenging market conditions in fixed income throughout 2015 and lower revenues in investment banking, partially offset by increased revenues in equities. We saw record revenues in investment banking for 2014. In addition, net revenues from our Bache business for 2015, which are included within our fixed income results, were $80.2 million compared with $202.8 million in 2014. |
Business Results
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• | Almost all our fixed income credit businesses were impacted by lower levels of liquidity due to the expectations of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve and deterioration in the global energy and distressed markets. There were a number of periods of extreme volatility, which were followed by periods of low trading volumes. |
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• | Results in 2015 also include a net gain of $49.1 million from our investment in KCG, compared with a loss of $14.7 million from our investment in KCG and a gain of $19.9 million from our investment in Harbinger Group Inc. (“HRG”) in 2014. We sold HRG to Leucadia in March 2014. |
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• | Net revenues for 2015 included investment losses from managed funds of $23.8 million, compared with investment losses from managed funds of $9.6 million in 2014, primarily due to lower valuations in the energy and shipping sectors during 2015. |
Expenses
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• | Non-interest expenses decreased $326.1 million, or 12.1%, to $2,361.0 million for 2015 compared with $2,687.1 million for 2014, reflecting a decrease in both Compensation and benefits expense and Non-compensation expenses. |
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• | Compensation and benefits expense for 2015 was $1,467.1 million, a decrease of $231.4 million, or 13.6%, from 2014. Compensation and benefits expenses as a percentage of Net revenues was 59.3% for 2015 compared with 56.8% in 2014. |
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• | Non-compensation expenses for 2015 were $893.9 million, a decrease of $94.7 million, or 9.6%, from 2014, primarily due to a goodwill impairment loss of $51.9 million related to our Jefferies Bache business during 2014. In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2014, we recognized a bad debt provision, which primarily relates to a receivable of $52.3 million from a client to which we provided futures clearing and execution services, which declared bankruptcy. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Jefferies Bache
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• | Total non-interest expenses, since the agreement on April 9, 2015, include costs of $73.1 million, on a pre-tax basis, related to our exit of the Bache business. The after-tax impact of these costs is $52.6 million. These costs consist primarily of severance, retention and benefit payments for employees, incremental amortization of outstanding restricted stock and cash awards, contract termination costs and incremental amortization expense of capitalized software expected to no longer be used subsequent to the wind-down of the business. |
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• | Net revenues from this business activity for 2015, which are included within our fixed income results, were $80.2 million compared with $202.8 million in 2014. This is comprised of commissions, principal transaction revenues and net interest revenues. Expenses directly related to the Bache business, which are included within non-interest expenses, for 2015 were $214.8 million compared with $348.2 million in 2014. |
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• | For further information, refer to Note 22, Exit Costs in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
Headcount
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• | At November 30, 2015, we had 3,557 employees globally, a decrease of 358 employees from our headcount at November 30, 2014 of 3,915. Since November 30, 2014, our headcount has decreased due to headcount reductions related to the exiting of the Bache business and corporate services outsourcing, partially offset by increases across our investment banking, equities and asset management businesses. |
Revenues by Source
For presentation purposes, the remainder of “Results of Operations” is presented on a detailed product and expense basis, rather than on a business segment basis. Net revenues presented for our equities and fixed income businesses include allocations of interest income and interest expense as we assess the profitability of these businesses inclusive of the net interest revenue or expense associated with the respective activities, which is a function of the mix of each business’s associated assets and liabilities and the related funding costs.
The composition of our net revenues has varied over time as financial markets and the scope of our operations have changed. The composition of net revenues can also vary from period to period due to fluctuations in economic and market conditions, and our own performance. The following provides a summary of “Revenues by Source” (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | |
| Amount | | % of Net Revenues | | Amount | | % of Net Revenues | | Amount | | % of Net Revenues | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Equities | $ | 549,553 |
| | 22.8 | % | | $ | 757,447 |
| | 30.7 | % | | $ | 696,221 |
| | 23.3 | % | | (27.4 | )% | | 8.8 | % |
Fixed income | 640,026 |
| | 26.5 |
| | 270,772 |
| | 10.9 |
| | 747,596 |
| | 25.0 |
| | 136.4 | % | | (63.8 | )% |
Total sales and trading | 1,189,579 |
| | 49.3 |
| | 1,028,219 |
| | 41.6 |
| | 1,443,817 |
| | 48.3 |
| | 15.7 | % | | (28.8 | )% |
Equity | 235,207 |
| | 9.7 |
| | 408,474 |
| | 16.5 |
| | 339,683 |
| | 11.4 |
| | (42.4 | )% | | 20.3 | % |
Debt | 304,576 |
| | 12.6 |
| | 398,179 |
| | 16.1 |
| | 627,536 |
| | 21.0 |
| | (23.5 | )% | | (36.5 | )% |
Capital markets | 539,783 |
| | 22.3 |
| | 806,653 |
| | 32.6 |
| | 967,219 |
| | 32.4 |
| | (33.1 | )% | | (16.6 | )% |
Advisory | 654,190 |
| | 27.1 |
| | 632,354 |
| | 25.5 |
| | 562,055 |
| | 18.8 |
| | 3.5 | % | | 12.5 | % |
Total investment banking | 1,193,973 |
| | 49.4 |
| | 1,439,007 |
| | 58.1 |
| | 1,529,274 |
| | 51.2 |
| | (17.0 | )% | | (5.9 | )% |
Asset management fees and investment income (loss) from managed funds: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Asset management fees | 26,412 |
| | 1.1 |
| | 31,819 |
| | 1.3 |
| | 26,682 |
| | 0.9 |
| | (17.0 | )% | | 19.3 | % |
Investment income (loss) from managed funds | 4,650 |
| | 0.2 |
| | (23,804 | ) | | (1.0 | ) | | (9,635 | ) | | (0.4 | ) | | 119.5 | % | | (147.1 | )% |
Total | 31,062 |
| | 1.3 |
| | 8,015 |
| | 0.3 |
| | 17,047 |
| | 0.5 |
| | 287.5 | % | | (53.0 | )% |
Net revenues | $ | 2,414,614 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 2,475,241 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 2,990,138 |
| | 100.0 | % | | (2.4 | )% | | (17.2 | )% |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
The following table sets forth our total sales and trading net revenues (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Commissions and other fees | $ | 611,574 |
| | $ | 659,002 |
| | $ | 668,801 |
| | (7.2 | )% | | (1.5 | )% |
Principal transactions | 519,652 |
| | 172,608 |
| | 532,292 |
| | 201.1 | % | | (67.6 | )% |
Other | 19,724 |
| | 74,074 |
| | 78,881 |
| | (73.4 | )% | | (6.1 | )% |
Net interest | 38,629 |
| | 122,535 |
| | 163,843 |
| | (68.5 | )% | | (25.2 | )% |
Total sales and trading net revenues | $ | 1,189,579 |
| | $ | 1,028,219 |
| | $ | 1,443,817 |
| | 15.7 | % | | (28.8 | )% |
Equities Net Revenue
Equities net revenues include equity commissions, equity security principal trading and investments (including our investments in KCG and other equity securities) and net interest revenue generated by our equities sales and trading, prime services and wealth management businesses relating to the following products:
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• | alternative investment strategies. |
Equities net revenue also includes our share of the net earnings from our joint venture investments in Jefferies Finance, LLC (“Jefferies Finance”) and Jefferies LoanCore, LLC (“Jefferies LoanCore”), which are accounted for under the equity method. Equities revenues also included our investment in HRG, which we sold to Leucadia in March 2014, at fair market value.
2016 Compared with 2015
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• | Total equities net revenues were $549.6 million for 2016, a decrease of $207.9 million, compared with $757.4 million for 2015. |
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• | Results during 2016 include a net loss of $17.9 million from our investment in two equity positions, including KCG, compared with a net gain of $49.2 million in 2015 from these two positions. In addition, equities net revenues for 2015 included significant gains on additional securities positions, which were not repeated during 2016. |
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• | Equities commission revenues gained slightly with improved market share across various product and client segments. Commissions in our U.S. cash equities and equity derivatives businesses held firm, while global electronic trading commissions gained from increased volumes and client market share. In our global electronic trading business, we have market leading customized algorithms in over 40 countries. European equities commissions increased due to improved market share, while commissions in our Asia Pacific cash equities business declined because of a challenging market environment. Our global cash businesses were among the highest market share gainers compared with our peers and, in the U.S. and U.K., our platform remains in the top 10. |
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• | Equities trading revenues were solid across most of our equities sales and trading businesses in 2016. Trading revenues from client market making improved in our U.S. and European cash equities businesses. Equity derivatives trading revenues declined due to a difficult volatility trading climate and convertibles trading revenues declined driven by weakness in the energy sector during 2016. In addition, certain strategic investments gained from exposures to energy, volatility, financial and currency markets. |
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• | Equities net revenues during 2016 included a net loss of $9.3 million from our share of Jefferies Finance, primarily due to the mark down of certain loans held for sale during the first part of 2016, compared with net revenues of $41.4 million in 2015. Net revenues from our share of Jefferies LoanCore also decreased during 2016 as compared to 2015 due to a decrease in loan closings and syndications. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
2015 Compared with 2014
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• | Total equities net revenues were $757.4 million for 2015, an increase of $61.2 million compared with $696.2 million for 2014. |
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• | Results in 2015 include a net gain of $49.1 million from our investment in KCG compared with a loss of $14.7 million from our investment in KCG and a gain of $19.9 million from our investment in HRG in 2014. We sold HRG to Leucadia in March 2014. |
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• | Strong revenues in 2015, as a result of increased trading volumes, from our electronic trading platform contributed to higher commissions revenues. Total equities net revenue also includes higher revenues from the Asia Pacific cash equities business and net mark-to-market gains from equity investments, as well as growth from our wealth management platform. This was partially offset by lower revenues from equity block trading results from our U.S. cash equities business and lower commissions in our European cash equities business. |
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• | Equities net revenue from our Jefferies LoanCore joint venture during 2015 includes higher revenues from an increase in loan closings and securitizations by the venture over 2014. Equities net revenue from our Jefferies Finance joint venture during 2015 includes lower revenues as a result of syndicate costs associated with the sell down of commitments, as well as reserves taken on certain loans held for investment as compared with 2014. |
Fixed Income Net Revenues
Fixed income net revenues includes commissions, principal transactions and net interest revenue generated by our fixed income sales and trading businesses from the following products:
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• | investment grade corporate bonds, |
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• | mortgage- and asset-backed securities, |
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• | government and agency securities, |
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• | interest rate derivatives, |
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• | high yield and distressed securities, |
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• | commodities trading activities. |
2016 Compared with 2015
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• | Fixed income net revenues totaled $640.0 million for 2016, an increase of $369.3 million, compared with net revenues of $270.8 million in 2015. |
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• | 2015 included $80.2 million of net revenues globally from the Bache business activity. There were no meaningful revenues from the Bache business during 2016, as we completed the exit of the Bache business during the second quarter of 2016. Excluding revenues from the Bache business activity, revenues increased $449.5 million, or 235.8%. |
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• | We recorded higher revenues in 2016 as compared with 2015 due to improved trading conditions across most core businesses, partially offset by lower revenues in our international rates business due to lower trading volumes. |
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• | Revenues in our leveraged credit business were strong on increased trading volumes within high yield and distressed, as a result of an improved credit environment, as well as strategic growth in the business, compared with mark-to-market write-downs in 2015. Results in our emerging markets business during 2016 were higher due to an upgraded sales and trading team and increased levels of volatility and improved market conditions. Revenues from our corporates businesses increased as compared to 2015 due to increased client activity and higher demand for new issuances and higher yielding investments. Our mortgages businesses were positively impacted by increased demand for spread products, compared with the negative impact of market volatility as credit spreads tightened for these asset classes and expectations of future rate increases in 2015. The municipal securities business performed well during 2016, as improved trading activity was driven by market technicals, compared with net outflows in 2015. Volatility during 2016 due to fluctuating expectations as to future Federal Reserve interest rate increases contributed to increased revenues in our U.S. rates business. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
2015 Compared with 2014
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• | Fixed income net revenues were $270.8 million for 2015, a decrease of $476.8 million, compared with net revenues of $747.6 million in 2014. |
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• | 2015 included $80.2 million of net revenues globally from the Bache business activity compared with $202.8 million in 2014. Excluding revenues from the Bache business activity, revenues decreased $354.2 million. |
| |
• | The lower revenues in 2015 were primarily due to tighter trading conditions across most core businesses and losses in our high yield distressed sales and trading business and international mortgages business, partially offset by higher revenues in our U.S. and international rates businesses, as well as our U.S. investment grade corporate credit business. |
| |
• | The higher revenues in our U.S. and international rates businesses, as well as our U.S. investment grade corporate credit business, resulted from higher transaction volumes as volatility caused attractive yields and interest in new issuances. However, that same volatility negatively impacted the municipal securities business as prices declined and the sector experienced overall net cash outflows. Most of our credit fixed income businesses were negatively impacted during 2015 by periods of extreme volatility and market conditions, as investors focused on liquidity, resulting in periods of low trading volume. In addition, results in our distressed trading businesses were negatively impacted by our position in the energy sector and led to mark-to-market write-downs in our inventory and results in our emerging markets business were lower due to slower growth in the emerging markets during 2015. Our mortgages business was also negatively impacted by market volatility as credit spreads tightened for these asset classes and expectations of future rate increases resulted in lower trading volumes and revenues. |
Investment Banking Revenue
Investment banking revenues include the following businesses:
| |
• | Capital markets revenues include underwriting and placement revenues related to corporate debt, municipal bonds, mortgage- and asset-backed securities and equity and equity-linked securities. |
| |
• | Advisory revenues consist primarily of advisory and transaction fees generated in connection with merger, acquisition and restructuring transactions. |
The following table sets forth our investment banking revenue (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Equity | $ | 235,207 |
| | $ | 408,474 |
| | $ | 339,683 |
| | (42.4 | )% | | 20.3 | % |
Debt | 304,576 |
| | 398,179 |
| | 627,536 |
| | (23.5 | )% | | (36.5 | )% |
Capital markets | 539,783 |
| | 806,653 |
| | 967,219 |
| | (33.1 | )% | | (16.6 | )% |
Advisory | 654,190 |
| | 632,354 |
| | 562,055 |
| | 3.5 | % | | 12.5 | % |
Total | $ | 1,193,973 |
| | $ | 1,439,007 |
| | $ | 1,529,274 |
| | (17.0 | )% | | (5.9 | )% |
The following table sets forth our Investment banking activities (dollars in billions):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Deals Completed | | Aggregate Value |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 |
Public and private debt financings | 892 |
| | 1,003 |
| | 1,109 |
| | $ | 188.6 |
| | $ | 199.8 |
| | $ | 250.0 |
|
Public and private equity and convertible offerings (1) | 117 |
| | 191 |
| | 193 |
| | 20.8 |
| | 53.9 |
| | 66.0 |
|
Advisory transactions (2) | 179 |
| | 171 |
| | 144 |
| | 135.2 |
| | 141.0 |
| | 176.0 |
|
| |
(1) | We acted as sole or joint bookrunner on 113, 176 and 159 offerings during 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. |
| |
(2) | The number of advisory deals completed includes 18, 13 and 12 restructuring and recapitalization transactions during 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
2016 Compared with 2015
| |
• | Total investment banking revenues were $1,194.0 million for 2016, 17.0% lower than 2015. Lower investment banking results were attributable to lower new issue equity and leveraged finance capital markets revenues. This was primarily as a result of the capital markets slowdown, which began in the second half of 2015 and continued for much of 2016. We generated $235.2 million and $304.6 million in equity and debt capital market revenues, respectively, for 2016, a decrease of 42.4% and 23.5%, respectively, from 2015. |
| |
• | Our reduced capital markets activity for 2016 was partially offset by record advisory revenues. Specifically, our advisory revenues for 2016 increased 3.5% compared to 2015, primarily through an increase in the number of M&A and restructuring transactions, including closing a record number of M&A transactions in excess of $1 billion. |
| |
• | Our investment banking results benefited both from a record fourth quarter of advisory fees in 2016, with our M&A and restructuring and recapitalization businesses showing continued momentum, and from improvement in capital markets activity, which began in the late summer of 2016, leading to an increase in new issue transaction volume. |
2015 Compared with 2014
| |
• | Total investment banking revenue was $1,439.0 million for 2015, $90.3 million lower than 2014, reflecting lower debt capital market revenues, partially offset by record equity capital markets and advisory revenues. |
| |
• | Overall, capital markets revenues for 2015 decreased 16.6% from 2014, primarily due to significantly lower transaction volume in the leveraged finance market. From equity and debt capital raising activities, we generated $408.5 million and $398.2 million in revenues, respectively, an increase of 20.3% and a decrease of 36.5%, respectively, from 2014. Record advisory revenues of $632.4 million for 2015, an increase of 12.5% from 2014, were primarily due to higher transaction volume. |
Asset Management Fees and Investment Income (Loss) from Managed Funds
Asset management revenue includes the following:
| |
• | management and performance fees from funds and accounts managed by us, |
| |
• | management and performance fees from related party managed funds and |
| |
• | accounts and investment income (loss) from our investments in these funds, accounts and related party managed funds. |
The key components of asset management revenues are the level of assets under management and the performance return, whether on an absolute basis or relative to a benchmark or hurdle. These components can be affected by financial markets, profits and losses in the applicable investment portfolios and client capital activity. Further, asset management fees vary with the nature of investment management services. The terms under which clients may terminate our investment management authority, and the requisite notice period for such termination, varies depending on the nature of the investment vehicle and the liquidity of the portfolio assets.
The following summarizes the results of our Asset Management businesses by asset class (in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Asset management fees: | | | | | | | | | |
Fixed income (1) | $ | 2,482 |
| | $ | 4,090 |
| | $ | 6,087 |
| | (39.3 | )% | | (32.8 | )% |
Equities | 1,757 |
| | 4,875 |
| | 9,212 |
| | (64.0 | )% | | (47.1 | )% |
Multi-asset | 22,173 |
| | 20,173 |
| | 8,863 |
| | 9.9 | % | | 127.6 | % |
Convertibles (2) | — |
| | 2,681 |
| | 2,520 |
| | (100.0 | )% | | 6.4 | % |
Total asset management fees | 26,412 |
| | 31,819 |
| | 26,682 |
| | (17.0 | )% | | 19.3 | % |
Investment income (loss) from managed funds | 4,650 |
| | (23,804 | ) | | (9,635 | ) | | 119.5 | % | | (147.1 | )% |
Total | $ | 31,062 |
| | $ | 8,015 |
| | $ | 17,047 |
| | 287.5 | % | | (53.0 | )% |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
| |
(1) | Fixed income asset management fees represent ongoing consideration we receive from the sale of contracts to manage certain collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) to Barings, LLC (formerly known as Babson Capital Management, LLC) in January 2010. As sale consideration, we are entitled to a portion of the asset management fees earned under the contracts for their remaining lives. Investment income (loss) from managed funds primarily is comprised of net unrealized markups (markdowns) in private equity funds managed by related parties. |
| |
(2) | During the fourth quarter of 2014, as part of a strategic review of our business, we decided to liquidate our International Asset Management business, which provided long only investment solutions in global convertible bonds to institutional investors. Asset management fees from this business comprise our convertibles asset strategy in the table above. |
Assets under Management
Period end assets under management by predominant asset class were as follows (in millions):
|
| | | | | | | |
| November 30, |
| 2016 | | 2015 |
Assets under management (1): | | | |
Equities | $ | 170 |
| | $ | 18 |
|
Multi-asset | 884 |
| | 688 |
|
Total | $ | 1,054 |
| | $ | 706 |
|
| |
(1) | Assets under management include assets actively managed by us, including hedge funds and certain managed accounts. Assets under management do not include the assets of funds that are consolidated due to the level or nature of our investment in such funds. |
Non-interest Expenses
Non-interest expenses were as follows (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | % Change from Prior Year |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | 2014 | | 2016 | | 2015 |
Compensation and benefits | $ | 1,568,948 |
| | $ | 1,467,131 |
| | $ | 1,698,530 |
| | 6.9 | % | | (13.6 | )% |
Non-compensation expenses: | | | | | | | | | |
Floor brokerage and clearing fees | 167,205 |
| | 199,780 |
| | 215,329 |
| | (16.3 | )% | | (7.2 | )% |
Technology and communications | 262,396 |
| | 313,044 |
| | 268,212 |
| | (16.2 | )% | | 16.7 | % |
Occupancy and equipment rental | 101,133 |
| | 101,138 |
| | 107,767 |
| | — | % | | (6.2 | )% |
Business development | 93,105 |
| | 105,963 |
| | 106,984 |
| | (12.1 | )% | | (1.0 | )% |
Professional services | 112,562 |
| | 103,972 |
| | 109,601 |
| | 8.3 | % | | (5.1 | )% |
Bad debt provision | 7,365 |
| | (396 | ) | | 55,355 |
| | N/M |
| | N/M |
|
Goodwill impairment | — |
| | — |
| | 54,000 |
| | N/M |
| | (100.0 | )% |
Other | 71,928 |
| | 70,382 |
| | 71,339 |
| | 2.2 | % | | (1.3 | )% |
Total non-compensation expenses | 815,694 |
| | 893,883 |
| | 988,587 |
| | (8.7 | )% | | (9.6 | )% |
Total non-interest expenses | $ | 2,384,642 |
| | $ | 2,361,014 |
| | $ | 2,687,117 |
| | 1.0 | % | | (12.1 | )% |
N/M — Not Meaningful
Compensation and Benefits
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense consists of salaries, benefits, cash bonuses, commissions, annual cash compensation awards and the amortization of certain non-annual share-based and cash compensation awards to employees. |
| |
• | Cash and historical share-based awards and a portion of cash awards granted to employees as part of year end compensation generally contain provisions such that employees who terminate their employment or are terminated without cause may continue to vest in their awards, so long as those awards are not forfeited as a result of other forfeiture provisions (primarily non-compete clauses) of those awards. Accordingly, the compensation expense for a portion of awards granted at year end as part of annual compensation is recorded in the year of the award. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
| |
• | Included within Compensation and benefits expense are share-based amortization expense for senior executive awards granted in September 2012 and February 2016, non-annual share-based and cash-based awards to other employees and certain year end awards that contain future service requirements for vesting. Senior executive awards contain market and performance conditions and are being amortized over their respective future service periods. |
| |
• | Refer to Note 15, Compensation Plans included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further details on compensation and benefits. |
2016 Compared with 2015
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense was $1,568.9 million for 2016 compared with $1,467.1 million for 2015. |
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense as a percentage of Net revenues was 65.0% for 2016 and 59.3% for 2015. The increase in the compensation ratio for 2016 as compared to 2015 is due to the composition of revenue by business line in the first quarter of 2016. |
| |
• | Compensation expense related to the amortization of share- and cash-based awards amounted to $287.3 million for 2016 compared with $307.1 million 2015. |
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense directly related to the activities of our Bache business was $87.7 million for 2015 and not meaningful for 2016. Included within compensation and benefits expense for the Bache business for 2015 are severance, retention and related benefits costs of $38.2 million incurred as part of decisions surrounding the exit of this business. |
| |
• | Employee headcount was 3,329 globally at November 30, 2016, a decrease of 228 employees from our headcount of 3,557 at November 30, 2015. Our headcount has decreased, primarily as a result of exiting the Bache business, as well as continued discipline in headcount, productivity management and corporate services outsourcing. |
2015 Compared with 2014
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense was $1,467.1 million for 2015 compared with $1,698.5 million for 2014. |
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense as a percentage of Net revenues was 59.3% for 2015 and 56.8% for 2014. |
| |
• | Compensation expense related to the amortization of share- and cash-based awards amounted to $307.1 million for 2015 compared with $284.3 million for 2014. |
| |
• | Compensation and benefits expense directly related to the activities of our Bache business was $87.7 million for 2015 and $98.6 million for 2014. Included within compensation and benefits expense for the Bache business for 2015 are severance, retention and related benefits costs of $38.2 million incurred as part of decisions surrounding the exit of this business. |
| |
• | At November 30, 2015, we had 3,557 employees globally, a decrease of 358 employees from our headcount at November 30, 2014 of 3,915. Since November 30, 2014, our headcount has decreased due to headcount reductions related to the exiting of the Bache business and corporate services outsourcing, partially offset by increases across our investment banking, equities and asset management businesses. |
Non-Compensation Expenses
2016 Compared with 2015
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses were $815.7 million for 2016, a decrease of $78.2 million, or 8.7%, compared with $893.9 million for 2015. |
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses as a percentage of Net revenues was 33.8% and 36.1% for 2016 and 2015, respectively. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses for 2016 were $815.7 million, a decrease of $78.2 million, or 8.7%, from 2015. The decrease in 2016 was due to our exiting the Bache business, which in 2015 generated $127.2 million of non-compensation expenses, including accelerated amortization expense of $19.7 million related to capitalized software, $11.2 million in contract termination costs and professional services costs of approximately $2.5 million in connection with our actions related to exiting the Bache business. There were no meaningful non-compensation expenses related to the Bache business in 2016. This reduction in 2016 was partially offset by higher Technology and communications expenses, excluding the Bache business, and higher Professional services expenses, excluding the Bache business. Technology and communications expenses, excluding the Bache business, increased due to higher costs associated with the development of the various trading systems and projects associated with corporate support infrastructure. In both years, we continued to incur legal and consulting fees as part of implementing various regulatory requirements, which are recognized in Professional services expenses. During 2015, we also released $4.4 million in reserves related to the resolution of bankruptcy claims against Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., which is presented within Bad debt expenses. |
2015 Compared with 2014
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses were $893.9 million for 2015, a decrease of $94.7 million, or 9.6%, compared with $988.6 million in 2014. |
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses as a percentage of Net revenues was 36.1% and 33.1% for 2015 and 2014, respectively. |
| |
• | The decrease in non-compensation expenses was primarily due to lower other expenses primarily related to impairment losses and bad debt expenses recognized for 2014. Non-compensation expenses for 2014 include a goodwill impairment loss of $51.9 million related to our Jefferies Bache business, which constitutes our global futures sales and trading operations. In addition, a goodwill impairment loss of $2.1 million was recognized in 2014 related to our International Asset Management business. Additionally, $7.6 million in impairment losses were recognized related to customer relationship intangible assets within our Jefferies Bache and International Asset Management businesses, which is presented within Other expenses. During 2015, we also released $4.4 million in reserves related to the resolution of bankruptcy claims against Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., which is presented within Bad debt expenses. During the fourth quarter of 2014, we recognized a bad debt provision, which primarily relates to a receivable of $52.3 million from a client to which we provided futures clearing and execution services, which declared bankruptcy. |
| |
• | Non-compensation expenses associated directly with the activities of the Bache business were $127.2 million for 2015 and $249.6 million for 2014. Technology and communications expenses for 2015 included accelerated amortization expense of $19.7 million related to capitalized software and $11.2 million in contract termination costs related to our Jefferies Bache business. During 2015, we incurred professional services costs of approximately $2.5 million in connection with our actions related to exiting the Bache business. |
Income Taxes
2016 Compared with 2015
| |
• | For 2016, the provision for income taxes was $14.6 million, an effective tax rate of 48.6%, compared with a provision for income taxes of $18.9 million, an effective tax rate of 16.5%, for 2015. |
| |
• | The change in the effective tax rate during 2016 as compared with 2015 is primarily attributable to excess stock detriments related to share-based compensation that was less than the compensation cost recognized for financial reporting purposes. |
| |
• | Given the uncertainty surrounding tax reform in the U.S., in December 2016, we repatriated earnings and associated foreign taxes from certain foreign subsidiaries. This will have a positive impact on our effective tax rate in 2017. |
2015 Compared with 2014
| |
• | For 2015, the provision for income taxes was $18.9 million, an effective tax rate of 16.5%, compared with a provision for income taxes of $142.1 million, an effective tax rate of 46.9%, for 2014. |
| |
• | The change in the effective tax rate during 2015 as compared with 2014 is primarily due to net tax benefits related to the resolution of state income tax examinations and statute expirations during 2015, a change in the geographical mix of earnings and the impact of the goodwill impairment charge that was non-deductible in 2014. |
Accounting Developments
For a discussion of recently issued accounting developments and their impact on our consolidated financial statements, see Note 3, Accounting Developments, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Critical Accounting Policies
The consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and related notes. Actual results can and may differ from estimates. These differences could be material to the financial statements.
We believe our application of U.S. GAAP and the associated estimates are reasonable. Our accounting estimates are constantly reevaluated, and adjustments are made when facts and circumstances dictate a change. Historically, we have found our application of accounting policies to be appropriate, and actual results have not differed materially from those determined using necessary estimates.
We believe our critical accounting policies (policies that are both material to the financial condition and results of operations and require our most subjective or complex judgments) are our valuation of financial instruments, assessment of goodwill and our use of estimates related to compensation and benefits during the year.
For further discussion of the following significant accounting policies and other significant accounting policies, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Valuation of Financial Instruments
Financial instruments owned and Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased are recorded at fair value. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (the exit price). Unrealized gains or losses are generally recognized in Principal transaction revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Earnings.
For information on the composition of our financial instruments owned and financial instruments sold, not yet purchased recorded at fair value, see Note 4, Fair Value Disclosures, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Fair Value Hierarchy – In determining fair value, we maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs reflect our assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. We apply a hierarchy to categorize our fair value measurements broken down into three levels based on the transparency of inputs, where Level 1 uses observable prices in active markets and Level 3 uses valuation techniques that incorporate significant unobservable inputs and broker quotes that are considered less observable. Greater use of management judgment is required in determining fair value when inputs are less observable or unobservable in the marketplace, such as when the volume or level of trading activity for a financial instrument has decreased and when certain factors suggest that observed transactions may not be reflective of orderly market transactions. Judgment must be applied in determining the appropriateness of available prices, particularly in assessing whether available data reflects current prices and/or reflects the results of recent market transactions. Prices or quotes are weighed when estimating fair value with greater reliability placed on information from transactions that are considered to be representative of orderly market transactions.
Fair value is a market based measure; therefore, when market observable inputs are not available, our judgment is applied to reflect those judgments that a market participant would use in valuing the same asset or liability. The availability of observable inputs can vary for different products. We use prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date even in periods of market disruption or illiquidity. The valuation of financial instruments classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy involves the greatest amount of management judgment. (See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 4, Fair Value Disclosures, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on the definitions of fair value, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 and related valuation techniques.)
Level 3 Assets and Liabilities – For information on the composition and activity of our Level 3 assets and Level 3 liabilities, see Note 4, Fair Value Disclosures, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Controls Over the Valuation Process for Financial Instruments – Our Independent Price Verification Group, independent of the trading function, plays an important role in determining that our financial instruments are appropriately valued and that fair value measurements are reliable. This is particularly important where prices or valuations that require inputs are less observable. In the event that observable inputs are not available, the control processes are designed to assure that the valuation approach utilized is appropriate and consistently applied and that the assumptions are reasonable. Where a pricing model is used to determine fair value, these control processes include reviews of the pricing model’s theoretical soundness and appropriateness by risk management personnel with relevant expertise who are independent from the trading desks. In addition, recently executed comparable transactions and other observable market data are considered for purposes of validating assumptions underlying the model.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Goodwill
At November 30, 2016, goodwill recorded on our Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition is $1,640.7 million (4.4% of total assets). The nature and accounting for goodwill is discussed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 10, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Goodwill must be allocated to reporting units and tested for impairment at least annually, or when circumstances or events make it more likely than not that an impairment occurred. Goodwill is tested by comparing the estimated fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying value. Our annual goodwill impairment testing date is August 1, which did not indicate any goodwill impairment in any of our reporting units at August 1, 2016.
We use allocated tangible equity plus allocated goodwill and intangible assets for the carrying amount of each reporting unit. The amount of equity allocated to a reporting unit is based on our cash capital model deployed in managing our businesses, which seeks to approximate the capital a business would require if it were operating independently. For further information on our Cash Capital Policy, refer to the Liquidity, Financial Condition and Capital Resources section herein. Intangible assets are allocated to a reporting unit based on either specifically identifying a particular intangible asset as pertaining to a reporting unit or, if shared among reporting units, based on an assessment of the reporting unit’s benefit from the intangible asset in order to generate results.
Estimating the fair value of a reporting unit requires management judgment and often involves the use of estimates and assumptions that could have a significant effect on whether or not an impairment charge is recorded and the magnitude of such a charge. Estimated fair values for our reporting units utilize market valuation methods that incorporate price-to-earnings and price-to-book multiples of comparable public companies. Under the market approach, the key assumptions are the selected multiples and our internally developed forecasts of future profitability, growth and return on equity for each reporting unit. The weight assigned to the multiples requires judgment in qualitatively and quantitatively evaluating the size, profitability and the nature of the business activities of the reporting units as compared to the comparable publicly-traded companies. In addition, as the fair values determined under the market approach represent a noncontrolling interest, we apply a control premium to arrive at the estimate fair value of each reporting unit on a controlling basis.
The carrying values of goodwill by reporting unit at November 30, 2016 are as follows: $563.2 million in Investment Banking, $159.9 million in Equities and Wealth Management, $914.6 million in Fixed Income and $3.0 million in Strategic Investments.
The results of our assessment on August 1, 2016 indicated that all our reporting units had a fair value in excess of their carrying amounts based on current projections. While no goodwill impairment was identified, the valuation methodology for our reporting units are sensitive to management’s forecasts of future profitability, which comes with a level of uncertainty regarding U.S. and global economic conditions, trading volumes and equity and debt capital market transaction levels.
Refer to Note 10, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further details on goodwill.
Compensation and Benefits
A portion of our compensation and benefits represents discretionary bonuses, which are finalized at year end. In addition to the level of net revenues, our overall compensation expense in any given year is influenced by prevailing labor markets, revenue mix, profitability, individual and business performance metrics, and our use of share-based compensation programs. We believe the most appropriate way to allocate estimated annual total compensation among interim periods is in proportion to net revenues earned. Consequently, during the year we accrue compensation and benefits based on annual targeted compensation ratios, taking into account the mix of our revenues and the timing of expense recognition.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Liquidity, Financial Condition and Capital Resources
Our Chief Financial Officer and Global Treasurer are responsible for developing and implementing our liquidity, funding and capital management strategies. These policies are determined by the nature and needs of our day to day business operations, business opportunities, regulatory obligations, and liquidity requirements.
Our actual levels of capital, total assets and financial leverage are a function of a number of factors, including asset composition, business initiatives and opportunities, regulatory requirements and cost and availability of both long term and short term funding. We have historically maintained a balance sheet consisting of a large portion of our total assets in cash and liquid marketable securities, arising principally from traditional securities brokerage and trading activity. The liquid nature of these assets provides us with flexibility in financing and managing our business.
The Balance Sheet
A business unit level balance sheet and cash capital analysis is prepared and reviewed with senior management on a weekly basis. As a part of this balance sheet review process, capital is allocated to all assets and gross and adjusted balance sheet limits are established. This process ensures that the allocation of capital and costs of capital are incorporated into business decisions. The goals of this process are to protect the firm’s platform, enable our businesses to remain competitive, maintain the ability to manage capital proactively and hold businesses accountable for both balance sheet and capital usage.
We actively monitor and evaluate our financial condition and the composition of our assets and liabilities. We continually monitor our overall securities inventory, including the inventory turnover rate, which confirms the liquidity of our overall assets. Substantially all of our Financial instruments owned and Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased are valued on a daily basis and we monitor and employ balance sheet limits for our various businesses. In connection with our government and agency fixed income business and our role as a primary dealer in these markets, a sizable portion of our securities inventory is comprised of U.S. government and agency securities and other G-7 government securities.
The following table provides detail on key balance sheet asset and liability line items (dollars in millions):
|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| November 30, | | |
| 2016 | | 2015 | | % Change |
Total assets | $ | 36,941.3 |
| | $ | 38,564.0 |
| | (4.2 | )% |
Cash and cash equivalents | 3,529.1 |
| | 3,510.2 |
| | 0.5 | % |
Cash and securities segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes or deposited with clearing and depository organizations | 857.3 |
| | 751.1 |
| | 14.1 | % |
Financial instruments owned | 13,809.5 |
| | 16,559.1 |
| | (16.6 | )% |
Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased | 8,359.2 |
| | 6,785.1 |
| | 23.2 | % |
Total Level 3 assets | 413.3 |
| | 541.7 |
| | (23.7 | )% |
| | | | | |
Securities borrowed | $ | 7,743.6 |
| | $ | 6,975.1 |
| | 11.0 | % |
Securities purchased under agreements to resell | 3,862.5 |
| | 3,857.3 |
| | 0.1 | % |
Total securities borrowed and securities purchased under agreements to resell | $ | 11,606.1 |
| | $ | 10,832.4 |
| | 7.1 | % |
| | | | | |
Securities loaned | $ | 2,819.1 |
| | $ | 2,979.3 |
| | (5.4 | )% |
Securities sold under agreements to repurchase | 6,791.7 |
| | 10,004.4 |
| | (32.1 | )% |
Total securities loaned and securities sold under agreements to repurchase | $ | 9,610.8 |
| | $ | 12,983.7 |
| | (26.0 | )% |
Total assets at November 30, 2016 and 2015 were $36.9 billion and $38.6 billion, respectively, a decline of 4.2%. This decline reflects reductions that we implemented beginning in the fourth quarter of 2015 given our view of the market environment, which is also reflected in an overall reduction in risk at the comparable period ends. During 2016, average total assets (measured based upon week-end balances) were approximately 17.6% higher than total assets at November 30, 2016.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Our total Financial instruments owned inventory at November 30, 2016 was $13.8 billion, a decrease of 16.6% from inventory of $16.6 billion at November 30, 2015, primarily due to decreases in mortgage- and asset-backed securities due to global market and economic concerns in 2016. Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased inventory was $8.4 billion and $6.8 billion at November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, with the increase primarily driven by government, federal agency and other sovereign obligations and corporate equity and debt securities inventory due to increased market volatility caused by concerns about the pace of global economic growth and uncertainty around the Federal Reserve and major central banks’ monetary policies partially offset by a decrease in loans due to settlements during 2016. Our overall net inventory position was $5.5 billion and $9.8 billion at November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The change in our net inventory balance is attributed to a reduction in most net inventory positions, primarily mortgage- and asset-backed securities and government, federal agency and other sovereign obligations, partially offset by an increase in net loans. While our total Financial instruments owned declined from November 30, 2015 to November 30, 2016, our Level 3 Financial instruments owned as a percentage of total Financial instruments also declined to 3.0% at November 30, 2016 from 3.3% at November 30, 2015.
Securities financing assets and liabilities include both financing for our financial instruments trading activity and matched book transactions. Matched book transactions accommodate customers, as well as obtain securities for the settlement and financing of inventory positions. The aggregate outstanding balance of our securities borrowed and securities purchased under agreements to resell increased by 7.1% from November 30, 2015 to November 30, 2016, due to an increase in firm financing of our short inventory and a decrease in the netting benefit for our collateralized financing transactions, partially offset by a decrease in our matched book activity. The outstanding balance of our securities loaned and securities sold under agreement to repurchase decreased by 26.0% from November 30, 2015 to November 30, 2016 due to decreases in our matched book activity and firm financing of our inventory, partially offset by a decrease in the netting benefit for our collateralized financing transactions. Our average month end balances of total reverse repos and stock borrows during 2016 were 23.9% higher than the November 30, 2016 balances. Our average month end balances of total repos and stock loans during 2016 were 48.9% higher than the November 30, 2016 balances.
The following table presents our period end balance, average balance and maximum balance at any month end within the periods presented for Securities purchased under agreements to resell and Securities sold under agreements to repurchase (in millions):
|
| | | | | | | |
| Year Ended |
| 2016 | | 2015 |
Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell: | | | |
Period end | $ | 3,862 |
| | $ | 3,857 |
|
Month end average | 5,265 |
| | 5,719 |
|
Maximum month end | 7,001 |
| | 7,577 |
|
Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase: | | | |
Period end | $ | 6,792 |
| | $ | 10,004 |
|
Month end average | 11,410 |
| | 14,026 |
|
Maximum month end | 16,620 |
| | 18,629 |
|
Fluctuations in the balance of our repurchase agreements from period to period and intraperiod are dependent on business activity in those periods. Additionally, the fluctuations in the balances of our securities purchased under agreements to resell over the periods presented are influenced in any given period by our clients’ balances and our clients’ desires to execute collateralized financing arrangements via the repurchase market or via other financing products. Average balances and period end balances will fluctuate based on market and liquidity conditions and we consider the fluctuations intraperiod to be typical for the repurchase market.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Leverage Ratios
The following table presents total assets, adjusted assets, total equity, total member’s equity, tangible equity and tangible member’s equity with the resulting leverage ratios (in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | November 30, |
| | 2016 | | 2015 |
Total assets | $ | 36,941,276 |
| | $ | 38,563,972 |
|
Deduct: | Securities borrowed | (7,743,562 | ) | | (6,975,136 | ) |
| Securities purchased under agreements to resell | (3,862,488 | ) | | (3,857,306 | ) |
| | | | |
Add: | Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased | 8,359,202 |
| | 6,785,064 |
|
| Less derivative liabilities | (637,535 | ) | | (208,548 | ) |
Subtotal | 7,721,667 |
| | 6,576,516 |
|
Deduct: | Cash and securities segregated and on deposit for regulatory purposes or deposited with clearing and depository organizations | (857,337 | ) | | (751,084 | ) |
| Goodwill and intangible assets | (1,847,124 | ) | | (1,882,371 | ) |
Adjusted assets (1) | $ | 30,352,432 |
| | $ | 31,674,591 |
|
Total equity | $ | 5,370,597 |
| | $ | 5,509,377 |
|
Deduct: | Goodwill and intangible assets | (1,847,124 | ) | | (1,882,371 | ) |
Tangible total equity | $ | 3,523,473 |
| | $ | 3,627,006 |
|
Total member’s equity (2) | $ | 5,369,946 |
| | $ | 5,481,909 |
|
Deduct: | Goodwill and intangible assets | (1,847,124 | ) | | (1,882,371 | ) |
Tangible member’s equity (2) | $ | 3,522,822 |
| | $ | 3,599,538 |
|
Leverage ratio (2) (3) | 6.9 |
| | 7.0 |
|
Tangible gross leverage ratio (2) (4) | 10.0 |
| | 10.2 |
|
Adjusted leverage ratio (1) (2) (5) | 8.6 |
| | 8.7 |
|
| |
(1) | Adjusted assets is a non-GAAP financial measure and excludes certain assets that are considered of lower risk as they are generally self-financed by customer liabilities through our securities lending activities. We view the resulting measure of adjusted leverage, also a non-GAAP financial measure, as a more relevant measure of financial risk when comparing financial services companies. |
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(2) | As compared to November 30, 2015, the decrease to total member’s equity at November 30, 2016 is attributed to foreign currency translation adjustments, primarily due to the decline in the British pound rate of exchange against the U.S. dollar, partially offset by net earnings. |
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(3) | Leverage ratio equals total assets divided by total equity. |
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(4) | Tangible gross leverage ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure) equals total assets less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets divided by tangible member’s equity. The tangible gross leverage ratio is used by Rating Agencies in assessing our leverage ratio. |
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(5) | Adjusted leverage ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure) equals adjusted assets divided by tangible total equity. |
Liquidity Management
The key objectives of the liquidity management framework are to support the successful execution of our business strategies while ensuring sufficient liquidity through the business cycle and during periods of financial distress. Our liquidity management policies are designed to mitigate the potential risk that we may be unable to access adequate financing to service our financial obligations without material franchise or business impact.
The principal elements of our liquidity management framework are our Contingency Funding Plan, our Cash Capital Policy and our assessment of Maximum Liquidity Outflow.
Contingency Funding Plan. Our Contingency Funding Plan is based on a model of a potential liquidity contraction over a one year time period. This incorporates potential cash outflows during a liquidity stress event, including, but not limited to, the following:
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• | repayment of all unsecured debt maturing within one year and no incremental unsecured debt issuance; |
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• | maturity rolloff of outstanding letters of credit with no further issuance and replacement with cash collateral; |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
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• | higher margin requirements than currently exist on assets on securities financing activity, including repurchase agreements; |
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• | liquidity outflows related to possible credit downgrade; |
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• | lower availability of secured funding; |
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• | client cash withdrawals; |
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• | the anticipated funding of outstanding investment and loan commitments; and |
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• | certain accrued expenses and other liabilities and fixed costs. |
Cash Capital Policy. We maintain a cash capital model that measures long-term funding sources against requirements. Sources of cash capital include our equity and the noncurrent portion of long-term borrowings. Uses of cash capital include the following:
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• | illiquid assets such as equipment, goodwill, net intangible assets, exchange memberships, deferred tax assets and certain investments; |
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• | a portion of securities inventory that is not expected to be financed on a secured basis in a credit stressed environment (i.e., margin requirements) and |
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• | drawdowns of unfunded commitments. |
To ensure that we do not need to liquidate inventory in the event of a funding crisis, we seek to maintain surplus cash capital, which is reflected in the leverage ratios we maintain. Our total long-term capital of $10.5 billion at November 30, 2016 exceeded our cash capital requirements.
Maximum Liquidity Outflow. Our businesses are diverse, and our liquidity needs are determined by many factors, including market movements, collateral requirements and client commitments, all of which can change dramatically in a difficult funding environment. During a liquidity crisis, credit-sensitive funding, including unsecured debt and some types of secured financing agreements, may be unavailable, and the terms (e.g., interest rates, collateral provisions and tenor) or availability of other types of secured financing may change. As a result of our policy to ensure we have sufficient funds to cover what we estimate may be needed in a liquidity crisis, we hold more cash and unencumbered securities and have greater long-term debt balances than our businesses would otherwise require. As part of this estimation process, we calculate a Maximum Liquidity Outflow that could be experienced in a liquidity crisis. Maximum Liquidity Outflow is based on a scenario that includes both a market-wide stress and firm-specific stress, characterized by some or all of the following elements:
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• | Global recession, default by a medium-sized sovereign, low consumer and corporate confidence, and general financial instability. |
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• | Severely challenged market environment with material declines in equity markets and widening of credit spreads. |
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• | Damaging follow-on impacts to financial institutions leading to the failure of a large bank. |
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• | A firm-specific crisis potentially triggered by material losses, reputational damage, litigation, executive departure, and/or a ratings downgrade. |
The following are the critical modeling parameters of the Maximum Liquidity Outflow:
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• | Liquidity needs over a 30-day scenario. |
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• | A two-notch downgrade of our long-term senior unsecured credit ratings. |
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• | No support from government funding facilities. |
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• | A combination of contractual outflows, such as upcoming maturities of unsecured debt, and contingent outflows (e.g., actions though not contractually required, we may deem necessary in a crisis). We assume that most contingent outflows will occur within the initial days and weeks of a crisis. |
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• | No diversification benefit across liquidity risks. We assume that liquidity risks are additive. |
The calculation of our Maximum Liquidity Outflow under the above stresses and modeling parameters considers the following potential contractual and contingent cash and collateral outflows:
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• | All upcoming maturities of unsecured long-term debt, commercial paper, promissory notes and other unsecured funding products assuming we will be unable to issue new unsecured debt or rollover any maturing debt. |
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• | Repurchases of our outstanding long-term debt in the ordinary course of business as a market maker. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
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• | A portion of upcoming contractual maturities of secured funding trades due to either the inability to refinance or the ability to refinance only at wider haircuts (i.e., on terms which require us to post additional collateral). Our assumptions reflect, among other factors, the quality of the underlying collateral and counterparty concentration. |
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• | Collateral postings to counterparties due to adverse changes in the value of our over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives and other outflows due to trade terminations, collateral substitutions, collateral disputes, collateral calls or termination payments required by a two-notch downgrade in our credit ratings. |
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• | Variation margin postings required due to adverse changes in the value of our outstanding exchange-traded derivatives and any increase in initial margin and guarantee fund requirements by derivative clearing houses. |
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• | Liquidity outflows associated with our prime brokerage business, including withdrawals of customer credit balances, and a reduction in customer short positions. |
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• | Liquidity outflows to clearing banks to ensure timely settlements of cash and securities transactions. |
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• | Draws on our unfunded commitments considering, among other things, the type of commitment and counterparty. |
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• | Other upcoming large cash outflows, such as tax payments. |
Based on the sources and uses of liquidity calculated under the Maximum Liquidity Outflow scenarios, we determine, based on a calculated surplus or deficit, additional long-term funding that may be needed versus funding through the repurchase financing market and consider any adjustments that may be necessary to our inventory balances and cash holdings. At November 30, 2016, we have sufficient excess liquidity to meet all contingent cash outflows detailed in the Maximum Liquidity Outflow. We regularly refine our model to reflect changes in market or economic conditions and the firm’s business mix.
Sources of Liquidity
The following are financial instruments that are cash and cash equivalents or are deemed by management to be generally readily convertible into cash, marginable or accessible for liquidity purposes within a relatively short period of time (dollars in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| November 30, 2016 | | Average Balance Quarter ended November 30, 2016 (1) | | November 30, 2015 |
Cash and cash equivalents: | | | | | |
Cash in banks | $ | 905,003 |
| | $ | 866,598 |
| | $ | 973,796 |
|
Certificate of deposit | 25,000 |
| | 25,000 |
| | 75,000 |
|
Money market investments | 2,599,066 |
| | 1,535,870 |
| | 2,461,367 |
|
Total cash and cash equivalents | 3,529,069 |
| | 2,427,468 |
| | 3,510,163 |
|
Other sources of liquidity: | | | | | |
Debt securities owned and securities purchased under agreements to resell (2) | 1,455,398 |
| | 1,234,599 |
| | 1,265,840 |
|
Other (3)(4) | 318,646 |
| | 604,424 |
| | 163,890 |
|
Total other sources (4) | 1,774,044 |
| | 1,839,023 |
| | 1,429,730 |
|
Total cash and cash equivalents and other liquidity sources (4) | $ | 5,303,113 |
| | $ | 4,266,491 |
| | $ | 4,939,893 |
|
Total cash and cash equivalents and other liquidity sources as % of total assets (4) | 14.4 | % | | | | 12.8 | % |
Total cash and cash equivalents and other liquidity sources as % of total assets less goodwill and intangible assets (4) | 15.1 | % | | | | 13.5 | % |
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(1) | Average balances are calculated based on weekly balances. |
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(2) | Consists of high quality sovereign government securities and reverse repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities and other high quality sovereign government securities; deposits with a central bank within the European Economic Area, Canada, Australia, Japan, Switzerland or the USA; and securities issued by a designated multilateral development bank and reverse repurchase agreements with underlying collateral comprised of these securities. |
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(3) | Other includes unencumbered inventory representing an estimate of the amount of additional secured financing that could be reasonably expected to be obtained from our financial instruments owned that are currently not pledged after considering reasonable financing haircuts. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
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(4) | Other sources of liquidity at November 30, 2015 has been reduced by $141.2 million from what was previously disclosed, to reflect adjustments for certain securities that have subsequently been identified to have been encumbered. |
In addition to the cash balances and liquidity pool presented above, the majority of financial instruments (both long and short) in our trading accounts are actively traded and readily marketable. At November 30, 2016, we had the ability to readily obtain repurchase financing for 75.4% of our inventory at haircuts of 10% or less, which reflects the liquidity of our inventory. In addition, as a matter of our policy, all of these assets have internal capital assessed, which is in addition to the funding haircuts provided in the securities finance markets. Additionally, certain of our Financial instruments owned primarily consisting of bank loans, consumer loans and investments are predominantly funded by long term capital. Under our cash capital policy, we model capital allocation levels that are more stringent than the haircuts used in the market for secured funding; and we maintain surplus capital at these more stringent levels. We continually assess the liquidity of our inventory based on the level at which we could obtain financing in the market place for a given asset. Assets are considered to be liquid if financing can be obtained in the repurchase market or the securities lending market at collateral haircut levels of 10% or less. The following summarizes our financial instruments by asset class that we consider to be of a liquid nature and the amount of such assets that have not been pledged as collateral at November 30, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| November 30, |
| 2016 | | 2015 |
| Liquid Financial Instruments | | Unencumbered Liquid Financial Instruments (2) | | Liquid Financial Instruments | | Unencumbered Liquid Financial Instruments (2) |
Corporate equity securities | $ | 1,815,819 |
| | $ | 280,733 |
| | $ | 1,881,419 |
| | $ | 268,664 |
|
Corporate debt securities | 1,818,150 |
| | — |
| | 1,999,162 |
| | 89,230 |
|
U.S. government, agency and municipal securities | 3,157,737 |
| | 600,456 |
| | 2,987,784 |
| | 317,518 |
|
Other sovereign obligations | 2,258,035 |
| | 854,942 |
| | 2,444,339 |
| | 1,026,842 |
|
Agency mortgage-backed securities (1) | 1,090,391 |
| | — |
| | 3,371,680 |
| | — |
|
Loans and other receivables | 274,842 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Total | $ | 10,414,974 |
| | $ | 1,736,131 |
| | $ | 12,684,384 |
| | $ | 1,702,254 |
|
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(1) | Consists solely of agency mortgage-backed securities issued by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae. These securities include pass-through securities, securities backed by adjustable rate mortgages (“ARMs”), collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities and interest- and principal-only securities. |
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(2) | Unencumbered liquid balances represent assets that can be sold or used as collateral for a loan, but have not been. |
Average liquid financial instruments were $11.8 billion and $15.2 billion for 2016 and 2015, respectively. Average unencumbered liquid financial instruments were $1.6 billion and $1.9 billion for 2016 and 2015, respectively.
In addition to being able to be readily financed at modest haircut levels, we estimate that each of the individual securities within each asset class above could be sold into the market and converted into cash within three business days under normal market conditions, assuming that the entire portfolio of a given asset class was not simultaneously liquidated. There are no restrictions on the unencumbered liquid securities, nor have they been pledged as collateral.
Sources of Funding and Capital Resources
Our assets are funded by equity capital, senior debt, convertible debt, securities loaned, securities sold under agreements to repurchase, customer free credit balances, bank loans and other payables.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Secured Financing
We rely principally on readily available secured funding to finance our inventory of financial instruments. Our ability to support increases in total assets is largely a function of our ability to obtain short and intermediate-term secured funding, primarily through securities financing transactions. We finance a portion of our long inventory and cover some of our short inventory by pledging and borrowing securities in the form of repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements (collectively “repos”), respectively. Approximately 75.7% of our cash and non-cash repurchase financing activities use collateral that is considered eligible collateral by central clearing corporations. Central clearing corporations are situated between participating members who borrow cash and lend securities (or vice versa); accordingly repo participants contract with the central clearing corporation and not one another individually. Therefore, counterparty credit risk is borne by the central clearing corporation which mitigates the risk through initial margin demands and variation margin calls from repo participants. The comparatively large proportion of our total repo activity that is eligible for central clearing reflects the high quality and liquid composition of the inventory we carry in our trading books. For those asset classes not eligible for central clearinghouse financing, we seek to execute our bi-lateral financings on an extended term basis and the tenor of our repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements generally exceeds the expected holding period of the assets we are financing. Weighted average maturity of cash and non-cash repurchase agreements for non-clearing corporation eligible funded inventory is approximately three months at November 30, 2016.
Our ability to finance our inventory via central clearinghouses and bi-lateral arrangements is augmented by our ability to draw bank loans on an uncommitted basis under our various banking arrangements. At November 30, 2016, short-term borrowings, which must be repaid within one year or less and include bank loans and overdrafts, borrowings under revolving credit facilities, structured notes and a demand loan margin financing facility, totaled $525.8 million. Interest under the bank lines is generally at a spread over the federal funds rate. Letters of credit are used in the normal course of business mostly to satisfy various collateral requirements in favor of exchanges in lieu of depositing cash or securities. Average daily short-term borrowings outstanding were $399.6 million and $65.3 million for 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Our short-term borrowings include the following facilities:
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• | Demand Loan Facility. On February 19, 2016, we entered into a demand loan margin financing facility (“Demand Loan Facility”) in a maximum principal amount of $25.0 million to satisfy certain of our margin obligations. Interest is based on an annual rate equal to the weighted average LIBOR as defined in the Demand Loan Facility agreement plus 150 basis points. The Demand Loan Facility was terminated with an effective date of November 30, 2016. |
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• | Secured Revolving Loan Facilities. On October 29, 2015, we entered into a secured revolving loan facility (“First Secured Revolving Loan Facility”) whereby the lender agrees to make available a revolving loan facility in a maximum principal amount of $50.0 million in U.S. dollars to purchase eligible receivables that meet certain requirements as defined in the First Secured Revolving Loan Facility agreement. Interest is based on an annual rate equal to the lesser of the LIBOR rate plus three and three-quarters percent or the maximum rate as defined in the First Secured Revolving Loan Facility agreement. On December 14, 2015, we entered into a second secured revolving loan facility (“Second Revolving Loan Facility”, and together with the First Secured Revolving Loan Facility, “Secured Revolving Loan Facilities”) whereby the lender agrees to make available a revolving loan facility in a maximum principal amount of $50.0 million in U.S. dollars to purchase eligible receivables that meet certain requirements as defined in the Second Secured Revolving Loan Facility agreement. Interest is based on an annual rate equal to the lesser of the LIBOR rate plus four and one-quarter percent or the maximum rate as defined in the Second Secured Revolving Loan Facility agreement. |
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• | Intraday Credit Facility. The Bank of New York Mellon agrees to make revolving intraday credit advances (“Intraday Credit Facility”) for an aggregate committed amount of $250.0 million in U.S. dollars. The Intraday Credit Facility contains a financial covenant, which includes a minimum regulatory net capital requirement. Interest is based on the higher of the Federal funds effective rate plus 0.5% or the prime rate. At November 30, 2016, we were in compliance with all debt covenants under the Intraday Credit Facility. |
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
In addition to the above financing arrangements, we issue notes backed by eligible collateral under a master repurchase agreement, which provides an additional financing source for our inventory (our “repurchase agreement financing program”). The notes issued under the program are presented within Other secured financings in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition. At November 30, 2016, our outstanding notes were $718.0 million and are as follows:
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| | | | | | |
Series | | Issued | | Principal | | Maturity |
2014-4 (1) | | December 19, 2014 | | $60.0 million | | December 16, 2016 |
2014-5 (2) | | January 20, 2015 | | $68.1 million | | January 18, 2017 |
2015-2 (1) (3) | | May 12, 2015 | | $170.0 million | | May 15, 2018 |
2016-1 (1) | | February 5, 2016 | | $218.3 million | | February 4, 2017 |
2016-3 (1) | | May 12, 2016 | | $201.6 million | | May 11, 2017 |
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(1) | These notes bear interest at a spread over one month LIBOR. |
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(2) | This note bears interest at a spread over three month LIBOR. |
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(3) | At November 30, 2016, this note is redeemable at the option of the noteholders. |
For additional details on our repurchase agreement financing program, refer to Note 8, Variable Interest Entities, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Total Long-Term Capital
At November 30, 2016 and 2015, we had total long-term capital of $10.5 billion and $10.8 billion resulting in a long-term debt to equity capital ratio of 0.96:1 at both dates. Our total long-term capital base at November 30, 2016 and 2015 was as follows (in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | |
| November 30, |
| 2016 | | 2015 |
Long-Term Debt (1) (2) | $ | 5,130,822 |
| | $ | 5,287,697 |
|
Total Equity | 5,370,597 |
| | 5,509,377 |
|
Total Long-Term Capital | $ | 10,501,419 |
| | $ | 10,797,074 |
|
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(1) | Long-term capital at November 30, 2016 excludes $6.3 million of our Structured Notes, as these notes are redeemable on May 4, 2017, and $346.2 million of our 3.875% Convertible Senior Debentures, as these debentures are redeemable on November 1, 2017. Refer to Note 12, Long-Term Debt, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details on these notes. |
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(2) | Long-term capital at November 30, 2015 excludes $353.0 million of our 5.5% Senior Notes, as these notes matured on March 15, 2016. |
Long-Term Debt
During 2016, we issued structured notes with a total principal amount of approximately $275.4 million. Certain of the structured notes contain various interest rate payment terms and are accounted for at fair value, with changes in fair value resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk presented in other comprehensive income and changes in fair value resulting from non-credit components recognized in Principal transaction revenues. The fair value of the structured notes was $248.9 million at November 30, 2016. During 2016, approximately $350.0 million of long-term borrowings matured or were retired. On January 17, 2017, we issued 4.85% senior notes with a principal amount of $750.0 million, due 2027.
In addition, on January 21, 2016, we issued $15.0 million of Class A Notes, due 2022, and $7.5 million of Class B Notes, due 2022, secured by aircraft and related operating leases and which were non-recourse to us. In June 2016, the Class A Notes and the Class B Notes were repurchased and retired.
At November 30, 2016, our long-term debt has a weighted average maturity of approximately seven years.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Our long-term debt ratings at November 30, 2016 are as follows:
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| | | |
| Rating | | Outlook |
Moody’s Investors Service (1) | Baa3 | | Stable |
Standard and Poor’s | BBB- | | Stable |
Fitch Ratings (2) | BBB- | | Stable |
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(1) | On January 21, 2016, Moody’s affirmed our long-term debt rating of Baa3 and our rating outlook was changed from negative to stable. On March 15, 2016, Moody’s reaffirmed this rating and rating outlook. |
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(2) | On February 29, 2016, Fitch reaffirmed our long-term debt rating of BBB- and our rating outlook of stable. |
At November 30, 2016, the long-term ratings on our principal operating broker-dealers, Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) (a U.S. broker-dealer) and Jefferies International Limited (a U.K. broker-dealer) are as follows:
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| | | | | | | |
| Jefferies | | Jefferies International Limited |
| Rating | | Outlook | | Rating | | Outlook |
Moody’s Investors Service (1) | Baa2 | | Stable | | Baa2 | | Stable |
Standard and Poor’s | BBB | | Stable | | BBB | | Stable |
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(1) | On January 21, 2016, Moody’s affirmed these long-term debt ratings and the rating outlook was changed from negative to stable. |
Access to external financing to finance our day to day operations, as well as the cost of that financing, is dependent upon various factors, including our debt ratings. Our current debt ratings are dependent upon many factors, including industry dynamics, operating and economic environment, operating results, operating margins, earnings trend and volatility, balance sheet composition, liquidity and liquidity management, our capital structure, our overall risk management, business diversification and our market share and competitive position in the markets in which we operate. Deteriorations in any of these factors could impact our credit ratings. While certain aspects of a credit rating downgrade are quantifiable pursuant to contractual provisions, the impact on our business and trading results in future periods is inherently uncertain and depends on a number of factors, including the magnitude of the downgrade, the behavior of individual clients and future mitigating action taken by us.
In connection with certain over-the-counter derivative contract arrangements and certain other trading arrangements, we may be required to provide additional collateral to counterparties, exchanges and clearing organizations in the event of a credit rating downgrade. At November 30, 2016, the amount of additional collateral that could be called by counterparties, exchanges and clearing organizations under the terms of such agreements in the event of a downgrade of our long-term credit rating below investment grade was $51.4 million. For certain foreign clearing organizations credit rating is only one of several factors employed in determining collateral that could be called. The above represents management’s best estimate for additional collateral to be called in the event of credit rating downgrade. The impact of additional collateral requirements is considered in our Contingency Funding Plan and calculation of Maximum Liquidity Outflow, as described above.
Equity Capital
As compared to November 30, 2015, the decrease to total member’s equity at November 30, 2016 is attributed to foreign currency translation adjustments, primarily due to the decline in the British pound rate of exchange against the U.S. dollar, partially offset by net earnings.
Net Capital
As broker-dealers registered with the SEC and member firms of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), Jefferies and Jefferies Execution are subject to the Securities and Exchange Commission Uniform Net Capital Rule (“Rule 15c3-1”), which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital, and have elected to calculate minimum capital requirements using the alternative method permitted by Rule 15c3-1 in calculating net capital. Jefferies, as a dually-registered U.S. broker-dealer and FCM, is also subject to Rule 1.17 of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), which sets forth minimum financial requirements. The minimum net capital requirement in determining excess net capital for a dually-registered U.S. broker-dealer and FCM is equal to the greater of the requirement under Rule 15c3-1 or CFTC Rule 1.17.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
At November 30, 2016, Jefferies and Jefferies Execution’s net capital and excess net capital were as follows (in thousands):
|
| | | | | | | |
| Net Capital | | Excess Net Capital |
Jefferies | $ | 1,467,729 |
| | $ | 1,398,748 |
|
Jefferies Execution | 8,260 |
| | 8,010 |
|
FINRA is the designated self-regulatory organization (“DSRO”) for our U.S. broker-dealers and the National Futures Association is the DSRO for Jefferies as an FCM.
Certain other U.S. and non-U.S. subsidiaries are subject to capital adequacy requirements as prescribed by the regulatory authorities in their respective jurisdictions, including Jefferies International Limited which is subject to the regulatory supervision and requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act contains provisions that require the registration of all swap dealers, major swap participants, security-based swap dealers, and/or major security-based swap participants. While entities that register under these provisions will be subject to regulatory capital requirements, these regulatory capital requirements have not yet been finalized. We expect that these provisions will result in modifications to the regulatory capital requirements of some of our entities, and will result in some of our other entities becoming subject to regulatory capital requirements for the first time, including Jefferies Financial Services, Inc., which registered as a swap dealer with the CFTC during January 2013 and Jefferies Financial Products LLC, which registered during August 2014.
The regulatory capital requirements referred to above may restrict our ability to withdraw capital from our regulated subsidiaries.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
For information on our commitments and guarantees, see Note 18, Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The table below provides information about our contractual obligations at November 30, 2016. The table presents principal cash flows with expected maturity dates (in millions):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Expected Maturity Date | | |
| 2017 | | 2018 | | 2019 and 2020 | | 2021 and 2022 | | 2023 and Later | | Total |
Contractual obligations: | | | | | | | | | | | |
Unsecured long-term debt (contractual principal payments net of unamortized discounts and premiums) (1) | $ | 346.2 |
| | $ | 824.2 |
| | $ | 1,317.3 |
| | $ | 827.6 |
| | $ | 2,168.1 |
| | $ | 5,483.4 |
|
Interest payment obligations on senior notes (2) | 298.1 |
| | 259.7 |
| | 407.7 |
| | 268.7 |
| | 1,111.9 |
| | 2,346.1 |
|
Operating leases (net of subleases) - premises and equipment (3) | 61.2 |
| | 61.7 |
| | 109.9 |
| | 100.5 |
| | 512.0 |
| | 845.3 |
|
Master sale and leaseback agreement (3) | 3.8 |
| | 1.5 |
| | 0.2 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | 5.5 |
|
Purchase obligations (4) | 87.5 |
| | 57.8 |
| | 77.9 |
| | 51.5 |
| | 11.4 |
| | 286.1 |
|
Total contractual obligations | $ | 796.8 |
| | $ | 1,204.9 |
| | $ | 1,913.0 |
| | $ | 1,248.3 |
| | $ | 3,803.4 |
| | $ | 8,966.4 |
|
| |
(1) | For additional information on long-term debt, see Note 12, Long-Term Debt, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
| |
(2) | Amounts based on applicable interest rates at November 30, 2016. |
| |
(3) | For additional information on operating leases related to certain premises and equipment and a master sale and leaseback agreement, see Note 18, Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
| |
(4) | Purchase obligations for goods and services primarily include payments for outsourcing and computer and telecommunications maintenance agreements. Purchase obligations at November 30, 2016 reflect the minimum contractual obligations under legally enforceable contracts. |
We expect to make cash payments of $645.5 million on January 31, 2017 related to compensation awards for fiscal 2016. See Note 15, Compensation Plans, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
In the normal course of business we engage in other off balance sheet arrangements, including derivative contracts. Neither derivatives’ notional amounts nor underlying instrument values are reflected as assets or liabilities in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. Rather, the fair value of derivative contracts are reported in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition as Financial instruments owned or Financial instruments sold, not yet purchased as applicable. Derivative contracts are reflected net of cash paid or received pursuant to credit support agreements and are reported on a net by counterparty basis when a legal right of offset exists under an enforceable master netting agreement. For additional information about our accounting policies and our derivative activities see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, Note 4, Fair Value Disclosures, and Note 5, Derivative Financial Instruments, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We are routinely involved with variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in the normal course of business. At November 30, 2016, we did not have any commitments to purchase assets from our VIEs. For additional information regarding our involvement with VIEs, see Note 7, Securitization Activities, and Note 8, Variable Interest Entities, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Due to the uncertainty regarding the timing and amounts that will ultimately be paid, our liability for unrecognized tax benefits has been excluded from the above contractual obligations table. See Note 17, Income Taxes, in our consolidated financial statements included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Risk Management
Overview
Risk is an inherent part of our business and activities. The extent to which we properly and effectively identify, assess, monitor and manage each of the various types of risk involved in our activities is critical to our financial soundness, viability and profitability. Accordingly, we have a comprehensive risk management approach, with a formal governance structure and processes to identify, assess, monitor and manage risk. Principal risks involved in our business activities include market, credit, liquidity and capital, operational, legal and compliance, new business, and reputational risk.
Risk management is a multifaceted process that requires communication, judgment and knowledge of financial products and markets. Accordingly, our risk management process encompasses the active involvement of executive and senior management, and also many departments independent of the revenue-producing business units, including the Risk Management, Operations, Compliance, Legal and Finance Departments. Our risk management policies, procedures and methodologies are fluid in nature and are subject to ongoing review and modification.
For discussion of liquidity and capital risk management, refer to the “Liquidity, Financial Condition and Capital Resources” section herein.
Governance and Risk Management Structure
Our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors and its Audit Committee play an important role in reviewing our risk management process and risk tolerance. Our Board of Directors and Audit Committee are provided with data relating to risk at each of its regularly scheduled meetings. Our Chief Risk Officer and Global Treasurer meet with the Board of Directors on not less than a quarterly basis to present our risk profile and liquidity profile and to respond to questions.
Risk Committees. We make extensive use of internal committees to govern risk taking and ensure that business activities are properly identified, assessed, monitored and managed. Our Risk Management Committee meets weekly to discuss our risk, capital, and liquidity profile in detail. In addition, business or market trends and their potential impact on the risk profile are discussed. Membership is comprised of our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Risk Officer and Global Treasurer. The Committee approves limits for us as a whole, and across risk categories and business lines. It also reviews all limit breaches. Limits are reviewed on at least an annual basis. Other risk related committees include Market Risk Management, Credit Risk Management, New Business, Underwriting Acceptance, Margin Oversight, Executive Management and Operating Committees. These Committees govern risk taking and ensure that business activities are properly managed for their area of oversight.
Risk Related Policies. We make use of various policies in the risk management process:
| |
• | Market Risk Policy- This policy sets out roles, responsibilities, processes and escalation procedures regarding market risk management. |
| |
• | Independent Price Verification Policy- This policy sets out roles, responsibilities, processes and escalation procedures regarding independent price verification for securities and other financial instruments. |
| |
• | Operational Risk Policy- This policy sets out roles, responsibilities, processes and escalation procedures regarding operational risk management. |
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• | Credit Risk Policy- This policy provides standards and controls for credit risk-taking throughout our global business activities. This policy also governs credit limit methodology and counterparty review. |
| |
• | Model Validation Policy- This policy sets out roles, processes and escalation procedures regarding model validation and model risk management. |
Risk Management Key Metrics
We apply a comprehensive framework of limits on a variety of key metrics to constrain the risk profile of our business activities. The size of the limit reflects our risk tolerance for a certain activity under normal business conditions. Key metrics included in our framework include inventory position and exposure limits on a gross and net basis, scenario analysis and stress tests, Value-at-Risk, sensitivities (greeks), exposure concentrations, aged inventory, amount of Level 3 assets, counterparty exposure, leverage, cash capital, and performance analysis metrics.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Market Risk
The potential for changes in the value of financial instruments is referred to as market risk. Our market risk generally represents the risk of loss that may result from a change in the value of a financial instrument as a result of fluctuations in interest rates, credit spreads, equity prices, commodity prices and foreign exchange rates, along with the level of volatility. Interest rate risks result primarily from exposure to changes in the yield curve, the volatility of interest rates, and credit spreads. Equity price risks result from exposure to changes in prices and volatilities of individual equities, equity baskets and equity indices. Commodity price risks result from exposure to the changes in prices and volatilities of individual commodities, commodity baskets and commodity indices. Market risk arises from market making, proprietary trading, underwriting, specialist and investing activities. We seek to manage our exposure to market risk by diversifying exposures, controlling position sizes, and establishing economic hedges in related securities or derivatives. Due to imperfections in correlations, gains and losses can occur even for positions that are hedged. Position limits in trading and inventory accounts are established and monitored on an ongoing basis. Each day, consolidated position and exposure reports are prepared and distributed to various levels of management, which enable management to monitor inventory levels and results of the trading groups.
Value-at-Risk
We estimate Value-at-Risk (“VaR”) using a model that simulates revenue and loss distributions on our trading portfolios by applying historical market changes to the current portfolio. Using the results of this simulation, VaR measures the potential loss in value of our financial instruments due to adverse market movements over a specified time horizon at a given confidence level. We calculate a one-day VaR using a one year look-back period measured at a 95% confidence level.
As with all measures of VaR, our estimate has inherent limitations due to the assumption that historical changes in market conditions are representative of the future. Furthermore, the VaR model measures the risk of a current static position over a one-day horizon and might not capture the market risk of positions that cannot be liquidated or offset with hedges in a one-day period. Published VaR results reflect past trading positions while future risk depends on future positions.
While we believe the assumptions and inputs in our risk model are reasonable, we could incur losses greater than the reported VaR because the historical market prices and rates changes may not be an accurate measure of future market events and conditions. Consequently, this VaR estimate is only one of a number of tools we use in our daily risk management activities.
When comparing our VaR numbers to those of other firms, it is important to remember that different methodologies and assumptions could produce significantly different results.
Our average daily VaR decreased to $7.91 million for 2016 from $12.39 million for 2015. The decrease was driven by lower block trading activity and firmwide defensive positioning resulting in lower equity risk and fixed income exposures, partially offset by a lower diversification benefit. Excluding our investment in KCG, our average VaR decreased to $5.77 million for 2016 from $9.97 million for 2015.
The following table illustrates each separate component of VaR for each component of market risk by interest rate, equity, currency and commodity products, as well as for our overall trading positions using the past 365 days of historical data (in millions):
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Daily VaR (1) Value-at-Risk In Trading Portfolios | | | | | | | | |
| VaR at November 30, 2016 | | | VaR at November 30, 2015 | | |
| | Daily VaR for 2016 | | | Daily VaR for 2015 |
Risk Categories: | | | Average | | High | | Low | | | | Average | | High | | Low |
Interest Rates | $ | 5.82 |
| | $ | 4.96 |
| | $ | 6.99 |
| | $ | 3.43 |
| | $ | 5.01 |
| | $ | 5.84 |
| | $ | 8.06 |
| | $ | 4.19 |
|
Equity Prices | 6.71 |
| | 5.42 |
| | 9.55 |
| | 2.60 |
| | 6.69 |
| | 9.79 |
| | 13.61 |
| | 5.39 |
|
Currency Rates | 0.19 |
| | 0.41 |
| | 3.01 |
| | 0.07 |
| | 0.30 |
| | 0.46 |
| | 3.32 |
| | 0.12 |
|
Commodity Prices | 0.51 |
| | 0.84 |
| | 2.44 |
| | 0.31 |
| | 0.82 |
| | 0.57 |
| | 1.62 |
| | 0.04 |
|
Diversification Effect (2) | (4.79 | ) | | (3.72 | ) | | N/A |
| | N/A |
| | (5.09 | ) | | (4.27 | ) | | N/A |
| | N/A |
|
Firmwide | $ | 8.44 |
| | $ | 7.91 |
| | $ | 11.40 |
| | $ | 4.30 |
| | $ | 7.73 |
| | $ | 12.39 |
| | $ | 17.75 |
| | $ | 6.35 |
|
| |
(1) | For the VaR numbers reported above, a one-day time horizon, with a one year look-back period, and a 95% confidence level were used. |
| |
(2) | The diversification effect is not applicable for the maximum and minimum VaR values as the firmwide VaR and the VaR values for the four risk categories might have occurred on different days during the year. |
The aggregated VaR presented here is less than the sum of the individual components (i.e., interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk, equity risk and commodity price risk) due to the benefit of diversification among the four risk categories. Diversification benefit equals the difference between aggregated VaR and the sum of VaRs for the four risk categories and arises because the market risk categories are not perfectly correlated.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
The chart below reflects our daily VaR over the last four quarters:
The primary method used to test the efficacy of the VaR model is to compare our actual daily net revenue for those positions included in our VaR calculation with the daily VaR estimate. This evaluation is performed at various levels of the trading portfolio, from the holding company level down to specific business lines. For the VaR model, trading related revenue is defined as principal transaction revenue, trading related commissions, revenue from securitization activities and net interest income. For a 95% confidence one day VaR model (i.e., no intra-day trading), assuming current changes in market value are consistent with the historical changes used in the calculation, net trading losses would not be expected to exceed the VaR estimates more than twelve times on an annual basis (i.e., once in every 20 days). During 2016, results of the evaluation at the aggregate level demonstrated three days when the net trading loss exceeded the 95% one day VaR.
Certain positions within financial instruments are not included in the VaR model because VaR is not the most appropriate measure of risk. Accordingly, Risk Management has additional procedures in place to assure that the level of potential loss that would arise from market movements are within acceptable levels. Such procedures include performing stress tests, monitoring concentration risk and tracking price target/stop loss levels. The table below presents the potential reduction in net income associated with a 10% stress of the fair value of the positions that are not included in the VaR model at November 30, 2016 (in thousands):
|
| | | |
| 10% Sensitivity |
Private investments | $ | 20,980 |
|
Corporate debt securities in default | 5,040 |
|
Trade claims | 491 |
|
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
VaR also excludes the impact of changes in our own credit spreads on financial liabilities for which the fair value option was elected. The estimated credit spread risk sensitivity for each one basis point widening in our own credit spreads on financial liabilities for which the fair value option was elected was an increase in value of approximately $250,000 at November 30, 2016.
Daily Net Trading Revenue
Excluding trading losses associated with the daily marking to market of our investment in KCG, there were 21 days with trading losses out of a total of 253 trading days in 2016. Including these losses, there were 38 days with trading losses. The histogram below presents the distribution of our actual daily net trading revenue for substantially all of our trading activities for 2016 (in millions).
Scenario Analysis and Stress Tests
While VaR measures potential losses due to adverse changes in historical market prices and rates, we use stress testing to analyze the potential impact of specific events or moderate or extreme market moves on our current portfolio both firm wide and within business segments. Stress scenarios comprise both historical market price and rate changes and hypothetical market environments, and generally involve simultaneous changes of many risk factors. Indicative market changes in our scenarios include, but are not limited to, a large widening of credit spreads, a substantial decline in equities markets, significant moves in selected emerging markets, large moves in interest rates, changes in the shape of the yield curve and large moves in European markets. In addition, we also perform ad hoc stress tests and add new scenarios as market conditions dictate. Because our stress scenarios are meant to reflect market moves that occur over a period of time, our estimates of potential loss assume some level of position reduction for liquid positions. Unlike our VaR, which measures potential losses within a given confidence interval, stress scenarios do not have an associated implied probability; rather, stress testing is used to estimate the potential loss from market moves that tend to be larger than those embedded in the VaR calculation.
Stress testing is performed and reported regularly as part of the risk management process. Stress testing is used to assess our aggregate risk position as well as for limit setting and risk/reward analysis.
Counterparty Credit Risk and Issuer Country Exposure
Counterparty Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk of loss due to adverse changes in a counterparty’s credit worthiness or its ability or willingness to meet its financial obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of a financial contract. We are exposed to credit risk as trading counterparty to other broker-dealers and customers, as a direct lender and through extending loan commitments, as a holder of securities and as a member of exchanges and clearing organizations.
It is critical to our financial soundness and profitability that we properly and effectively identify, assess, monitor, and manage the various credit and counterparty risks inherent in our businesses. Credit is extended to counterparties in a controlled manner in order to generate acceptable returns, whether such credit is granted directly or is incidental to a transaction. All extensions of credit are monitored and managed on an enterprise level in order to limit exposure to loss related to credit risk.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Our Credit Risk Framework is responsible for identifying credit risks throughout the operating businesses, establishing counterparty limits and managing and monitoring those credit limits. Our framework includes:
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• | defining credit limit guidelines and credit limit approval processes; |
| |
• | providing a consistent and integrated credit risk framework across the enterprise; |
| |
• | approving counterparties and counterparty limits with parameters set by the Risk Management Committee; |
| |
• | negotiating, approving and monitoring credit terms in legal and master documentation; |
| |
• | delivering credit limits to all relevant sales and trading desks; |
| |
• | maintaining credit reviews for all active and new counterparties; |
| |
• | operating a control function for exposure analytics and exception management and reporting; |
| |
• | determining the analytical standards and risk parameters for on-going management and monitoring of global credit risk books; |
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• | actively managing daily exposure, exceptions, and breaches; |
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• | monitoring daily margin call activity and counterparty performance (in concert with the Margin Department); and |
| |
• | setting the minimum global requirements for systems, reports, and technology. |
Credit Exposures
Credit exposure exists across a wide-range of products including cash and cash equivalents, loans, securities finance transactions and over-the-counter derivative contracts.
| |
• | Loans and lending arise in connection with our capital markets activities and represents the current exposure, amount at risk on a default event with no recovery of loans. Current exposure represents loans that have been drawn by the borrower and lending commitments that were outstanding. In addition, credit exposures on forward settling traded loans are included within our loans and lending exposures for consistency with the balance sheet categorization of these items. |
| |
• | Securities and margin finance includes credit exposure arising on securities financing transactions (reverse repurchase agreements, repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements) to the extent the fair value of the underlying collateral differs from the contractual agreement amount and from margin provided to customers. |
| |
• | Derivatives represent OTC derivatives, which are reported net by counterparty when a legal right of setoff exists under an enforceable master netting agreement. Derivatives are accounted for at fair value net of cash collateral received or posted under credit support agreements. In addition, credit exposures on forward settling trades are included within our derivative credit exposures. |
| |
• | Cash and cash equivalents include both interest-bearing and non-interest bearing deposits at banks. |
Current counterparty credit exposures at November 30, 2016 and November 30, 2015 are summarized in the tables below and provided by credit quality, region and industry (in millions). Credit exposures presented take netting and collateral into consideration by counterparty and master agreement. Collateral taken into consideration includes both collateral received as cash as well as collateral received in the form of securities or other arrangements. Current exposure is the loss that would be incurred on a particular set of positions in the event of default by the counterparty, assuming no recovery. Current exposure equals the fair value of the positions less collateral. Issuer risk is the credit risk arising from inventory positions (for example, corporate debt securities and secondary bank loans). Issuer risk is included in our country risk exposure tables below. Of our counterparty credit exposure at November 30, 2016, excluding cash and cash equivalents, the percentage of exposure from investment grade counterparties increased slightly to 82% from 79% at November 30, 2015, and is mainly concentrated in North America.
When comparing our credit exposure at November 30, 2016 with credit exposure at November 30, 2015, excluding cash and cash equivalents, current exposure has decreased 6% to approximately $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion. Counterparty credit exposure decreased over 2015 by 24% from loans and lending primarily due to North American loans and by 11% over the year from securities and margin finance. Counterparty credit exposure from OTC derivatives increased by 54%, primarily associated with CLO warehouse funding arrangements.
JEFFERIES GROUP LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Counterparty Credit Exposure by Credit Rating |
| Loans and Lending | | Securities and Margin Finance | | OTC Derivatives | | Total | | Cash and Cash Equivalents | | Total with Cash and Cash Equivalents |
| At | | At | | At | | At | | At | | At |
| November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) |
AAA Range | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 11.8 |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | — |
| | $ | 11.8 |
| | $ | 2,601.4 |
| | $ | 2,461.4 |
| | $ | 2,601.4 |
| | $ | 2,473.2 |
|
AA Range | 44.0 |
| | — |
| | 87.3 |
| | 152.3 |
| | 2.1 |
| | 4.4 |
| | 133.4 |
| | 156.7 |
| | 37.0 |
| | 175.0 |
| | 170.4 |
| | 331.7 |
|
A Range | 4.2 |
| | 1.0 |
| | 539.2 |
| | 556.4 |
| | 214.7 |
| | 96.0 |
| | 758.1 |
| | 653.4 |
| | 814.1 |
| | 846.3 |
| | 1,572.2 |
| | 1,499.7 |
|
BBB Range | 4.9 |
| | 86.6 |
| | 117.3 |
| | 107.9 |
| | 9.4 |
| | 31.7 |
| | 131.6 |
| | 226.2 |
| | 51.2 |
| | 25.8 |
| | 182.8 |
| | 252.0 |
|
BB or Lower | 100.1 |
| | 181.6 |
| | 6.2 |
| | 14.8 |
| | 23.8 |
| | 30.1 |
| | 130.1 |
| | 226.5 |
| | 25.1 |
| | — |
| | 155.2 |
| | 226.5 |
|
Unrated | 93.5 |
| | 56.3 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | 0.1 |
| | 93.5 |
| | 56.4 |
| | 0.3 |
| | 1.7 |
| | 93.8 |
| | 58.1 |
|
Total | $ | 246.7 |
| | $ | 325.5 |
| | $ | 750.0 |
| | $ | 843.2 |
| | $ | 250.0 |
| | $ | 162.3 |
| | $ | 1,246.7 |
| | $ | 1,331.0 |
| | $ | 3,529.1 |
| | $ | 3,510.2 |
| | $ | 4,775.8 |
| | $ | 4,841.2 |
|
|
Counterparty Credit Exposure by Region |
| Loans and Lending | | Securities and Margin Finance | | OTC Derivatives | | Total | | Cash and Cash Equivalents | | Total with Cash and Cash Equivalents |
| At | | At | | At | | At | | At | | At |
| November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 | | November 30, 2016 | | November 30, 2015 (1) |
Asia/Latin America/Other | $ | 4.9 |
| | $ | 10.1 |
| | $ | 16.3 |
| | $ | 15.3 |
| | $ | 32.7 |
| | $ | 40.6 |
| | $ | 53.9 |
| | $ | 66.0 |
| | $ | 165.8 |
| | $ | 159.6 |
| | $ | 219.7 |
| | $ | 225.6 |
|
Europe | — |
| | 0.4 |
| | 234.4 |
| | 212.2 |
| | 20.9 |
| | 43.4 |
| | |