Breaking the covenant Two recent surveys have shed light on the issue of covenant breaches, and how managers are responding to them. With the number of covenants in deals having declined markedly in recent years, there has been some doubt as to whether even a sharp downturn would be accompanied by a significant rise in…

The pain is yet to come Plenty of capital has been raised in anticipation of a distressed opportunity that may take a while to materialise. Distressed debt has been a major focus for investors in recent years, as can be seen from our chart above. Although fundraising this year has been dealt a setback by…

Are the clouds beginning to lift? The deal market is showing signs of picking up, as positive news on a covid-19 vaccine brings hope even to the worst-hit sectors. Speaking to sources in the private debt market has been a surprisingly uplifting experience recently. Following many predictions of doom and gloom in the spring of…

Private debt’s next frontier Asia-Pacific has many attributes which should make investors sit up and take notice. In our recently published Asia-Pacific Report, PDI examined prospects for private debt in the region. As can be seen from the chart above, fundraising has held up well even amid the turbulence of 2020. So what is driving…

Refinancings to the fore It’s one way in which private debt is changing as a result of the global health crisis. With parts of the world seemingly going through a second wave of the coronavirus, it’s difficult to accurately predict how the asset class will develop over the coming years. But some pointers are beginning…

Fundraising has not been stopped in its tracks Senior debt strategies lead the way as capital accumulation manages to retain some forward momentum. Private debt funds raised a total of $109.8 billion during the first nine months of 2020, the lowest figure since 2016, according to PDI data (see chart above)…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready

What to make of direct lenders’ prospects? Direct lending has enjoyed years of tailwinds – now it must confront the headwinds. Direct lending has experienced enormous growth since the global financial crisis (see chart showing fundraising for various direct lending-relevant strategies), filling a gap that retrenching banks left behind…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?

Do the documents offer lenders hope? Borrowers have held the balance of power for some time when it comes to deal negotiations. There are signs that their grip is being loosened, if only a little. In the wake of the covid-19 crisis, it’s hard to view the positives but you should always try…. Subscribe to

Delaying the inevitable? Many businesses may be faring better than expected but investors are worried that economic reality will catch up in the end. Listening to market sentiment at our New York Forum virtual experience 2020 last week, it was clear things could be both an awful lot better and an awful lot worse. Some…

NPLs: Covid-19 creates new round of buying prospects The coronavirus crisis may not be as bountiful for Europe’s NPL investors as the GFC, but will offer select opportunities. Every crisis has its winners and losers and one asset class which came out on top after the global financial crisis in 2008 was European non-performing loans…