Chart of the Week

The share of middle market buyouts leveraged over six times reached all-time high of 40%; large caps over 60%.

Despite worries about new middle market entrants, all-in yields are only 13 bps shy of their levels seven years ago.

The share of middle market club deals held by non-lenders remains just under 70% for the first quarter.

Leverage for healthcare and tech issuers was off 1Q for club deals, while rising for service firms and manufacturers.

The number of private equity software deals is growing relative to the non-software IT segment.

Loans involving new financings, not just repricings, represented 72% of all 1Q middle market sponsored transactions.

While middle market yields are range-bound, large cap spreads have been dropping fast.

So far this year fundraising for middle market firms is matching the pace we saw in 2016.

Dropping oil prices and last week’s Fed rate hike caused investors to push almost $5.7 billion out of high-yield accounts; totaling $8 billion in only three weeks.

The lower on the capital stack an debt investor’s position goes, the more challenged is the recovery.