“Rice supplies in Japan still low, with prices almost doubled since a year ago.” – Headline, Asia News Network. Always attuned to market conditions on the ground, we heard from friends in Tokyo last week that, incredibly, grocery stores were out of rice. The impact of hot, wet weather and dealers hoarding product has sent…
Last week we came to Tokyo for meetings with our investors and friends in the region, as well as participating in S&P’s stellar Structured Finance Seminar 2025. Along with almost 200 attendees we heard senior ratings analysts and leading CLO market participants discuss trends and outlooks for global leveraged finance, CLOs and other securitized strategies. …
We began our visit to Tokyo this week attending S&P’s Structured Finance Seminar 2025. Along with almost 200 Japanese bankers and investors, we heard senior ratings analysts and leading CLO market participants discuss trends and outlooks for global leveraged finance, CLOs and other securitized strategies. Our panel was entitled, “Private Credit, Middle Market CLOs and…
One criticism of private credit goes something like this: “Sure, private credit has a pretty good track record. But that’s because it’s never been tested by a real recession.” The point is valid for most direct lenders. According to one study, only 5% of those managers were around before 2009. But during the past 16…
This week we look at questions from clients and friends surrounding the issue of tariffs. Not surprisingly, as we’ve discovered in our recent travels, interest in the topic has accelerated (see our Chart of the Week). The origin of the word is obscure. By one account, it derives from the Arabic “ta‘rif,” meaning “notification” or…
APAC countries each have their own path to investing in alternatives and private capital. Most key Malaysian institutions began with private equity, venture capital, and real estate. Favored PE sectors include data centers, which in 2023 represented an astounding 90% of all privately funded deals in that arena.* Others were in the consumer, industrial, and…
“Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises contribute almost 40% of Malaysia’s GDP and almost 50% of its national work force, yet only 17% of these companies have access to bank financing.” – Sources: KSP, ADM Capital. Last month our travels took us to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, a city of about 2 million. There we met…
“Manager performance is the beta of private credit. The alpha is client support. Transparency and timeliness of information is critical, especially at the outset.” – Australian investor. As the Australian market has matured, it has geared a variety of private credit products to different investor types. These embrace institutions, family offices, high-net-worth, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals….
“When my 2-year-old opened up her toy chest, things tumbled out. She’s 15 now, so it’s a well-organized make-up box. That’s how private credit has matured here.” – Australian investor. In our travels last month to Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, we had over twenty meetings with clients and friends that included superannuation funds, wealth management…
It had been a while since our last MENA visit, so on a recent trip there with our teams, clients and friends, the difference in levels of activity and interest around private credit was palpable. Most large sophisticated institutional investors in the Gulf, including sovereign wealth and pension funds, now have a dedicated allocation to…