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Fast Food

McDonald’s reported surprisingly strong earnings for the first quarter. An RBC piece last week said the burger giant’s results were driven by better sales in international markets, as well as the addition of value-priced options on its menu. Bank analysts did not mention Don Gorske. The retired prison guard from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin just…

PDI Picks – 5/14/2018

Moving up in the real estate world The total raised for senior debt so far in 2018 signifies a jump from previous years. The growth in real estate debt is just one of the many story lines in the expansion of private credit, and senior debt in that sub-strategy seems to be having its moment…

The Pulse of Private Equity - 5/14/2018

Carving out opportunities Download PitchBook’s 1Q 2018 M&A Report click here. Somewhat quietly, PE-led carveout acquisitions have boomed in recent years. This is a natural and sometimes overlooked consequence of M&A booms, especially today’s. Corporate buying sprees have their own logic to them, and when public companies announce plans to buy or sell certain non-core…

Debtwire Middle-Market – 5/14/2018

Source: Cliffwater Direct Lending Index and BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Effective Yield The red line in the chart is the *Cliffwater Direct Lending Index (CDLI) current yield, which is based on the investment income of the underlying assets held by public and private BDCs. BDCs invest in middle market companies, and the Index…

Private Debt Intelligence - 5/14/2018

Sovereign Wealth Funds Invest in Private Debt Many institutional investors regard private debt as an asset class that presents attractive opportunities amid low interest rates and stringent regulatory requirements imposed on banks post-Global Financial Crisis. Sovereign wealth funds also have gravitated to the asset class, and 38% of this group of investors are known to…