AI disruption fears and Middle East-driven macro volatility weigh on loan and bond issuance – 1Q26 LevFin Highlights
LevFin issuance across the US and European institutional loan and high-yield bond markets saw a strong start to the year before fears of artificial intelligence (AI) disruption and escalating macro volatility stemming from the US and Israel war with Iran weighed on market activity

Investors scrutinise AI disruption and opportunities in the European loan market
Lower EV, high leverage elevate credit risk and refi challenges; AI-driven sell-off creates selective buy opportunities

Loan market sell-off set to widen, Sealed Air enters primary despite expected issuance slowdown – Europe Loan Digest
Electronic Arts to price today; strong CLO bid protects prices from macro volatility

EQT, Advent, Cinven embrace deal flexibility as hedge against Middle East chaos
ECM Pulse:Optionality trumps predictions in chasing LP returns; uncertainty dogs IPO prospects as bid-ask gap remains

ABS primary braves geopolitical uncertainty as spreads start to feel pressure – European ABS Weekly Digest
The European ABS primary market mostly shunned geopolitical risk this week as seven deals priced, two of which were pre-placed

Raistone enters Chapter 7 following First Brands filing; judge in Highland Chapter 11 case recuses herself after allegations about her novels
Judge Stacey Jernigan of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas recused herself from multiple matters in Highland Capital Management's Chapter 11 case after parties argued that novels she authored portrayed a hedge fund executive involved in the case

New filings detail Patrick Drahi's diversion of assets to detriment of certain Altice creditors – report
EUR 4.5bn loan affected, 55% of Altice International's assets; creditors explore litigation, including covenant breach and conveyance claims

European BSL market upped risk to win deals in 2025 – White & Case
The BSL market issued a higher percentage of loans rated below BB against a backdrop of patchy M&A flow

Largest loan repricing wave sweeps through the market while AI fears drive software sector sell-off
Nord Anglia and INNIO break through 300bps barrier for single-Bs; Team.blue and Dedalus pull deals amid software/tech sell-off

Loan market steams ahead with new launches as more deals line up in Europe
Flex-downs abound, but Hologic’s sub-300bps spread raises eyebrows, while performance in focus for Archroma, Seqens and Lipton Tea

Repricings comprise half of European levloans’ record year, new money drops to lowest level since GFC
The European leveraged loan market reached its highest yearly issuance volume ever in 2025, according to Debtwire data, driven by repricings

Lev loan guidance shift will challenge private credit CLOs, bring more new loan supply – Shenkman
EXCLUSIVE: Regulators rolling back restrictive guidance around leveraged lending could help traditional bank lenders claw back market share from US direct lenders

US regulators walk back post GFC leveraged lending restrictions
The OCC and FDIC now say the guidance was overly restrictive and that banks should rely on general risk management principles to manage their leveraged lending activity

First Brands’ disputes raise alarming concerns that all SPV lenders should be watching – Legal Analysis
SPV lenders face potential risks, including substantive consolidation and collateral devaluation

LME litigation in Europe in focus as Hunkemöller and Selecta bondholders fight back
ANALYSIS: Selecta sees use of creditor cooperation agreement challenged as anticompetitive in court; More LMEs and litigation expected in Europe next year and beyond

Thoma Bravo’s LBO loan deal for Calabrio draws mixed reactions over AI risk
EXCLUSIVE from Debtwire: USD 1.5bn first-out term loan marketed at SOFR+ 400bps, 97-98 OID; Investors divided on AI risk, some betting on Thoma Bravo's software expertise

Apollo, Oaktree and Searchlight among funds sitting on USS debt as company doesn’t make payment
EXCLUSIVE from Debtwire: Forbearance agreement reached between USS and creditors, as USS struggles financially despite recent LME efforts

Rush to exit bankruptcy pushes more companies to file a second time
Four companies file for second time in 2025, up from one last year; Poor prognosis for Chapter 22 filers, with high liquidation rates  

Buyout Highlights - Overview of Europe Buyout and Financing Trends 1Q25
Leveraged loans are again the main source of financing for LBOs in Europe, providing 65% of the total volume issued in 1Q25  

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

Refresco halts repricing and add-on transaction as market sentiment sours
Pulls deal from syndication as recent market volatility has made the repricing difficult to execute

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  

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