Very High LeverageDebt levels magnify both upside and downside: small spread or funding cost moves translate into large earnings and book‑value swings. Elevated leverage reduces capital flexibility, raises refinancing and margin‑call vulnerability, and weakens resilience to prolonged adverse rate or funding shocks.
Thin Cash‑flow Coverage Relative To DebtPositive FCF masks a structural mismatch: operating cash is tiny versus a very large debt stock. That limited internal cash cushion increases dependence on repo markets, equity issuance or asset sales to fund dividends and obligations, elevating refinancing and liquidity risk if markets stress.
Rising Prepayment Risk And Hedge SensitivityAccelerating prepayments shorten security lives, accelerate premium amortization and force reinvestment at lower yields, compressing returns. Coupled with hedge ratios below historical peaks, this increases mark‑to‑market volatility and leaves net economic returns more sensitive to rate and spread moves.