Overview We are a leading diversified capital manager with investment strategies across mortgage finance. Our principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to our stockholders and optimize our returns through prudent management of our diversified investment strategies. We are an internally-managed Maryland corporation founded in 1997 that has elected to be taxed as a REIT. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NLY.” We use our capital coupled with borrowed funds to invest primarily in real estate related investments, earning the spread between the yield on our assets and the cost of our borrowings and hedging activities. For a full discussion of our business, refer to the section titled “Business Overview” of Part I, Item 1. “Business.” Reverse Stock Split On September 8, 2022, we announced that our Board had unanimously approved a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio of 1-for-4 (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split was effective following the close of business on September 23, 2022 (the “Effective Time”). Accordingly, at the Effective Time, every four issued and outstanding shares of our common stock were converted into one share of our common stock. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Instead, each stockholder that would have held fractional shares as a result of the Reverse Stock Split received cash in lieu of such fractional shares. The par value per share of our common stock remained unchanged at $0.01 per share after the Reverse Stock Split. Accordingly, for all historical periods presented, an amount equal to the par value of the reduced number of shares resulting from the Reverse Stock Split was reclassified from Common stock to Additional paid in capital in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. All references made to share or per share amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and disclosures have been retroactively adjusted, where applicable, to reflect the effects of the Reverse Stock Split. Business Environment Financial markets saw meaningful volatility in 2023, marking a second consecutive year in which fixed income markets were more broadly impacted by elevated uncertainty around the outlook for the economy and the macroeconomic landscape. The volatility was driven by a combination of factors, including bank earnings and liquidity pressures that emerged in March 2023 following the sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank. Fears over the health of the broader banking system ultimately proved disproportionate, evidenced by a normalization in interest rates as the economy remained robust. However, interest rates then rose sharply between August and October with the ten-year Treasury note reaching the 5% yield mark as market participants appeared increasingly concerned about the outlook for the fiscal trajectory. The total deficit reached $1.78 trillion for the full calendar year, representing another year of large fiscal deficits despite healthy economic growth. The broader economy continued to expand, labor markets remained robust and inflation moderated throughout the year. While many observers had expected the economy to enter into a recession in 2023, data thus far has suggested that inflation moderated without a meaningful deterioration in economic activity, setting up a scenario in which parts of the economy moved into better balances without a sharp contraction in economic output or a significantly weaker labor market (a so-called “soft landing”). The increased likelihood of a soft landing appears to have been driven by numerous factors, including fewer price pressures on the supply side of the economy as shipping of goods normalized following earlier disruptions from the pandemic and the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. In addition, U.S. consumers continue to find employment and enjoy healthy balance sheets, while growing wages afford them the ability to continue to spend on goods and services, thereby supporting broader economic growth. Private sector investment activity rebounded somewhat in 2023 relative to 2022, while government spending and investment incentives created by federal legislation supported economic growth as well. Following the rapid tightening in monetary policy in 2022, the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) raised interest rates an additional one percentage point in 2023 and ultimately kept the Federal Funds Target Rate at 5.25% – 5.50% since late July. Meanwhile, the Fed maintained the pace it set in 2022 in the reduction of its balance sheet throughout the year, effectively letting up to $60 billion in Treasury and up to $35 billion in Agency MBS runoff per month in 2023. Driven by the continued maturities, the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet declined by $838 billion to $7.7 trillion over the course of the year. In this environment, home prices outperformed the market’s expectations despite mortgage rates reaching 20-year highs, resulting in historically low affordability for prospective homeowners. Home prices have continued to benefit from existing homeowners’ inability to move homes absent a meaningful increase in housing costs (the so called “lock in effect”), resulting in low availability of inventory for sale as borrowers locked into below-market mortgage rates are less willing to move or trade up. Housing activity remains depressed, although we have seen modest signs of an uptick in demand following the recent decline in mortgage rates. Ultimately, we are constructive on the housing market outlook should the labor market and consumers remain resilient in line with a “soft landing” economic scenario. ANNALY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis 49
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