The structured note calendar, screened monthly
Every month, ~200 new notes. Nobody has time to read 200 term sheets.
Structured Notes Lab is an independent monthly screen of the new-issue calendar, written for financial professionals. We read every term sheet, publish the screening criteria, and show which notes passed and which got cut, so your diligence time goes to a short list instead of the whole stack.
- NOTES SCREENED / MO
- 135–200
- ISSUERS
- MAJOR BANKS
- TENORS
- 1–7 YRS
- CRITERIA
- PUBLISHED
One instrument, four jobs
A structured note is a bond plus options, assembled to do a specific job. The screen sorts every note by the job it was built for, so a note is always judged against its true peers.
Income
Notes that pay a monthly or quarterly coupon, often 10 to 18% a year, as long as the index stays above a set level.
Growth
Uncapped participation above 1x. Some notes pay 1.5 to 2x whatever the S&P 500 returns, with a cushion on the way down.
Growth with protection
Give up some upside for a hard buffer: the issuer absorbs the first 10 to 20% of any decline before the position takes a loss.
CD alternative
100% principal-protected notes that swap a fixed rate for market upside. Full protection, real return potential.
The flagship
Every month, we screen the entire calendar.
Every income, growth, callable, and principal-protected note on the new-issue calendar, run through the same published criteria. What passed, what got cut, and the reasoning written out, so you can apply your own judgment on top.
August 2026 Structured Notes Review: The 23 That Passed the Screen
We screened all 135 structured notes on August's new-issue calendar against the same criteria as June and July. Here are the 23 that passed, sorted by strategy, with the terms and the reasoning.
Read →The reference shelf
All articles →The Real Cost of 100% Principal Protection
Full protection looks like the safest note on the calendar. The upside you hand over is only half of what it costs. The tax treatment is the other half.
Read →The Structured Note Due-Diligence Checklist
A practical due-diligence checklist for any structured note: issuer, protection, underlying, fees, call terms, cap, coupon, and the peer comparison most reviews skip.
Read →The Structured Note Risks Nobody Explains Properly
Most structured note warnings are half-right and unhelpful. Here are the real risks, explained clearly enough for a due-diligence file or a client conversation.
Read →The Five Types of Structured Notes, and When Each One Makes Sense
Growth, Boost, Income, Callable, and CD-style. Five structures, four investor goals. What each note pays, when it shines, and what to watch.
Read →Get the monthly screen by email
One email a month for financial professionals: what passed the screen, what got cut, and why. No spam, no pitch.