Middle market lending failed to impress in 2015 as both the sponsored and non-sponsored markets were down roughly 30% year-over-year. In the non-sponsored market, volatility spooked issuers in the second half of the year causing many to hold off… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
Is There a Glut of Private Equity Firms? Since the turn of the century, there has been a steady surge in the number of private equity firms that are active worldwide. From 1,545 in 2000, the number has crested to 3,918, an increase of over 153%. As was perhaps to be expected, the rate… Subscribe
If European credit investors had to name two names damaged by the precipitous fall in commodity prices, it is likely that Glencore and Anglo American would top the poll. The two mining firms have seen their credit spreads widen dramatically and are now quoted upfront, the only credits in the Markit iTraxx Europe… Subscribe to
Private equity sponsors once again took a back seat to leveraged corporate issuers, struggling to garner 42% of total leveraged loan volume amid limited deal making opportunities. With demand for assets at a premium for much of the year, PE sponsors wrestled with… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
Long proclaimed as one of the U.S. sectors most ripe for private equity investment, given its growth prospects as well as its relatively fragmented nature, healthcare services saw a decade high of 203 completed buyouts in 2015. Total deal value also surged after staying relatively flat for three years,… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?
Back in August 2014 I wrote a note that highlighted how the restructuring of Banco Espirito Santo (BES) exposed flaws in the 2003 ISDA CDS definitions, flaws that should be remedied by the new definitions introduced later that year. It was a far from perfect situation but a CDS succession event followed and that was…
At US$2trn, US syndicated loan issuance was down 6% compared to 2014. Leveraged loan issuance fell 17% in 2015 to US$783bn but this was offset by a 4% increase in investment grade lending which reached a record US$873bn. At $US740bn, US new money lending was the third-highest on record… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?
PE Fundraisers Still Riding High The latest numbers for private equity fundraising success—as measured by how many funds hit their target—are impressive to say the least. In 4Q 2015, over 90% of PE funds raised worldwide hit their targets. 88 funds were raised in that time period, according to PitchBook data, amassing $76.4 billion in…
Exactly seven years after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) decided to embark on a zero interest rate policy, the state of the US economy has finally been deemed strong enough to withstand the path towards normalisation. With the 25bps hike wrapped in very cautious forward guidance, financial markets reacted… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?
The secondary market continues to come under pressure, with increased differentiation between the so called haves and have-nots. Flow names fell by roughly 100 bps in November and are off another 55 bps so far this month. At a broader market level, multi-quote institutional term loans also fell by around 100 bps in… Subscribe to