Tariffs will push up default rates for several years, say agencies and managers
After an uptick in leveraged loan defaults culled weaker credits in 2024, many expected default rates to fall in 2025. But the uncertainty stemming from the Trump administration’s tariffs means those assumptions are now under threat

Lenders hit by LMEs will eventually have to increase the cost of capital
Chipping away at what has made loans successful has a cost

Clearlake abandons bank-led option for a private credit loan to replace Dun & Bradstreet financing
EXCLUSIVE: The private equity firm is going with the Ares-led private credit loan rather than tapping banks to raise debt in the capital markets 

Economic uncertainty clouds Milken conference but lev fin markets keep moving
Attendees leave a cloudy LA with few answers but a little more faith in the US leveraged finance markets

Uncertainty challenges credit underwriting but deal making continues
Panelists at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference this week said the environment is more favorable than many initially expected post 2 April

Private credit’s golden era never really ended – Blackstone’s Michael Zawadzki
On the Credit Exchange podcast, Lisa Lee speaks with the CIO of Blackstone Credit and Insurance about opportunities in volatile markets and the durability of private credit premiums

A&O Shearman exits continue with two partners jumping to Proskauer
Leveraged finance partners Alexandra de Padua and Frank Oliver join Proskauer’s global finance practice in New York

Leveraged loan, HY defaults to pick up as tariff pause adds more uncertainty - Goldman
The bank expects macro challenges to continue despite the tariff pause  

US CLO and leveraged loan market roiled by dramatic Trump tariffs
ANALYSIS: Leveraged loans and CLO fell lower in the aftermath's of President Donald Trump's new tariffs 

Peraton taps Guggenheim, lenders organize with Davis Polk on DOGE worries
DEBTWIRE EXCLUSIVE: Lenders of Peraton, which has USD 6.145bn loan maturity in 2028, are preparing to take FA ptiches as company is reliant on federal contracts, and faces downgrade risk  

KKR, Capital Group set to launch a hybrid private-public credit fund for individuals
The new fund with a low minimum will invest across corporate direct lending, private asset-based lending and public fixed income

US leveraged loan default rate set to rise to 1.6% by end of 2025: S&P
Macroeconomic headwinds, policy uncertainty and the reduced likelihood of interest rate cuts could contribute to the uptick  

Welcome to Miami, good luck getting on the deal
JPM leveraged finance conference attracts over 3000 to South Beach where participants expect LME activity to remain high and saw increased private credit presence
 

Go upmarket when investing in credit, says Oak Hill's Schrager
Senior managing partner at Oak Hill Advisors, Alan Schrager, discusses private credit volumes, cross-currents in credit markets, and issues including tariffs and defaults in Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee podcast

US leveraged loan A&E reach all-time high—Baird
Amend & Extend volume for US leveraged loans hit a record USD 226bn, driven by a lack of M&A activity in 2024 and a still-high cost for refinancing.

Institutional loans set records while ratings agency data diverges
It isn’t just the CLO market breaking records this year. Loan volumes are also continuing to set records, according to the latest Debtwire data for November.

Fund performance
Entering the final three months of the year, CLO funds took a clean sweep of the top 10 spots in the Creditflux tables. October was strong overall, as over 85% of funds listed made positive returns

Altice France reminds creditors that unrestricted subsidiaries can be freely spun-off
Altice France's debt documents permit the XpFibre spin-off, and most credit agreements and high yield bond indentures permit the distribution of the equity in unrestricted subsidiaries

Trump victory raises hopes for high yield markets, M&A revival
Leverage finance markets cheered Donald Trump’s win on the prospect the former president’s return to the White House will unleash deregulation and M&A, lower taxes and higher economy growth

Octaura launches new protocol for CLO liquidations
Electronic loan trading platform Octaura has released a new set of processes to streamline loan BWICs and OWICs

JetBlue's new loan struggles to take flight
CLO managers had less appetite for JetBlue’s new loan after the airline was downgraded to B3 and B- 

Loan repricings continue to flood the primary market ahead of August lull
The US primary loan market has seen a steady flow of well-bid deals this week that were either upsized or priced tighter

Leveraged loan issuance tops USD 1tn in record-setting first half
US leveraged loan issuance has jumped 91.2% year-on-year in the first six months of 2024, reaching USD 1tn for the first time on record

Strong run helps CLOs shrug off Altice downgrade
It may be the largest triple C downgrade in years, but the CLO market is relatively unperturbed by Altice’s fall from grace.

US loan volume nears record levels
In Q1 2024 quarterly institutional loan issuance reached its second highest level on record. The period also saw the lowest quarterly share of new money issuance, at just 13% of total activity