The apparent contradiction between optimism on economic growth and ultra-low government bond yields is preoccupying investors as we head into the summer…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
It’s been a while since the eurozone’s periphery had any meaningful impact on broader market sentiment. Mario Draghi’s “whatever it takes” pronouncement in 2012 put paid to the regular bouts of volatility emanating from Europe’s beleaguered sovereigns…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
The middle market yield premium on first-lien institutional term loans has dropped to just 66bp this quarter; its lowest level since 3Q09. The large corporate market has seen demand and supply re-balancing as more new money deals come to market while at the same time retail inflows reversed for a few weeks. As a result, at…
Last week we discussed the increase in valuations seen over the last 12 to 18 months in the middle-middle market, one of the drivers that we cited was the increase in competition and amount of capital chasing these deals. Today’s PitchBook chart shows that U.S. PE funds targeting middle-market deals currently have $305 billion of…
At ACG Intergrowth last week I spent a fair amount of time talking with private equity deal guys (and one gal…another topic) about the current market. The clearest trend everyone could agree on, and one that nobody was particularly excited about, was the increase in company valuation multiples over the last 12 to 18 months….
Positive earnings, strong economic data, low default rates and – most importantly – a favourable monetary policy environment continue to place downward pressure on spreads. The Markit CDX.NA.IG was trading at 64bps in nearly May, which would be the tightest level this year if the roll effect in March is excluded…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready
CLO issuance remains strong thanks to a broadening and growing AAA investor base and a growing number of first time managers. So far this year, almost $41 billion of CLO paper has been issued,up from the $33 billion issued through at this time last year. Dealing with a softer secondary, the average bid on the…
The average large corporate LBO debt to EBITDA level was 6.24 times in 1Q14, up from the 6.21 average seen in 2013. In 1Q14, the average multiple increased to 9.7 times from 9.3 times last year while equity contributions averaged 33.3%. Heading into 2Q14,… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
While much of the publicity surrounding private equity centers on mega-deals, the middle market actually accounts for more than 70% of all PE buyouts and 66% of the capital invested in PE transactions. It is far-and-away the largest segment of the private equity deal-making environment and a safe bet that when the middle market is…
At the end of January, it seemed unlikely that the first-quarter of 2014 would be a positive one for credit markets. But that is exactly what happened, and central banks in the US and Europe appear to be laying the groundwork for a strong Q2…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...