Iran War to increase corporate default rates globally — IACPM Survey
Though the credit market is absorbing new leveraged loan issuance amid geopolitical uncertainty, credit managers expect the war to drive a rise in defaults

M&A volume leap 20% to USD 1.38tn in first quarter of 2026
Even the Iran conflict has not arrested momentum among larger deals. A mammoth USD 122bn capital raise from OpenAI closed on the last day of the quarter, according to Mergermarket data

AI blockbuster deals surge as Middle East conflict test dealmaker confidence
Mergermarkets M&A Highlights 1Q26: Global M&A volume jumped 22% to the second highest start ever

Moody’s hires global head of leveraged finance
The US head of leveraged finance, Christina Padgett, retired in November, the ratings agency said.  

Invading Greenland would be a 'red line' for markets – Federated Hermes deputy CIO of fixed income R.J. Gallo
PODCAST: Federated Hermes’ incoming CIO of fixed income tells the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee that he is cautious on fixed income at the moment and wary of emerging geopolitical risks

Corporate default rates predicted to fall despite tariff uncertainty - S&P
Speculative-grade corporate default rates expected to fall on both sides of the Atlantic as trade tension uncertainty eases, but some concerns remain

Volatility could cause credit markets to break this year – TCW’s Bryan Whalen
PODCAST: Investors aren’t being paid enough of a premium for the risks in US corporate credit, TCW’s chief investment officer of fixed income told Creditflux’s Lisa Lee on the latest ‘Credit Exchange’ podcast  

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

Bessent compares Trump to Milken, champions bank deregulation
The US Treasury Secretary also noted that the growth of private credit is a sign the banking system has been too tightly constrained

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  

Expect wider credit spreads, compelling opportunities in CLOs – Bain Capital’s John Wright
PODCAST: Latest guest on the Credit Exchange podcast is "pretty excited" about CLO debt and expects spreads to widen

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

Fears about rates and the economy have dwindled and the outlook is positive
Bond yields are rising but capital markets remain full speed ahead

Credit hedge funds - December 2024
Credit hedge fund performance

Janus Henderson highlights agency mortgages in new fixed-income ETF
John Kerschner views agency mortgages as the cheapest thing in fixed-income and has a high allocation for the new JIII ETF   

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

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge fund performance

IACPM survey finds credit PMs still gloomy, but less so than last quarter
Respondents to the latest IACPM Credit Outlook Survey are still negative about future credit conditions, but less so than in previous surveys

Muni shop expands into leveraged finance with slew of senior hires
Boutique investment bank Middlegate Securities has announced the formation and launch of Middlegate Global Credit, a new leveraged finance division

February 2024 US Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire today releases the February 2024 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets.

Global corporate defaults on fastest pace since 2009 according to S&P
The number of corporate defaults has risen dramatically year-to-date, according to S&P Global Ratings, driven by a doubling of the rate of defaults in Europe

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge funds

Credit funds at a glance
Credit funds at a glance

BBVA hires ex Credit Suisse managing director
BBVA has hired a new managing director to be head of its US financial institutions group for debt capital markets

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge fund performance