Say what you will about last year’s Covid-induced downturn in the US beginning in March. But it paled in comparison to the UK’s economic cratering. Not since the Great Frost of 1709 had that proud nation suffered such a dramatic slump. Europe, in various degrees, followed suit. But then, like the US, Europe and the…
“We are in a new era with the Fed. They have a new reaction function…[and] this is their first trip around the track with it.” – Anne Mathias, senior strategist, Vanguard. Inflation, or the threat of it, presents challenges for both regulators and investors. Higher inflation generally impacts fixed income assets negatively as increased rates…
As part of our continuing inflation series, we caught up with Joseph Lavorgna, Natixis’ chief US economist, who just returned from a stint as chief economist of the National Economic Council. “People forget what real inflation is,” he told us. “I was seven years old during the oil embargo in the 1970’s when there were…
We continue our special series on inflation speaking with Nuveen’s chief investment strategist, Brian Nick. Brian, there’s a lot of attention being paid by markets to inflation risk. Is this warranted? “Prices of certain goods and services in the U.S. are rising for a variety of reasons, all of which we believe to be transitory….
“Inflation (noun): 2. A continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services.” “Transitory (adjective): 1. Of brief duration: temporary. 2. Tending to pass away: not persistent.” Thanks to Merriam-Webster for these clarifying entries, which together define one perspective…
“Thank you for this series. I’m curious how the benchmark accounts for where the loan is in the cap structure? For example, recovery rates for unitranche, 1st lien and second lien are different. Any portfolio would have to match the composition to effectively compare against the benchmark. Otherwise, you would need different benchmarks for each.”…
Private debt, compared to private equity and real estate, is a relatively recent entrant to the alternative asset class. But that market has grown faster than others over the past decade. In 2007, just before the Great Recession, private debt AUM measured less than $200 billion. Today the universe of illiquid credit is $900 billion…
Back in January we featured content from Lincoln International’s Valuations and Opinion team [link]. Topics included Covid’s impact on private credit terms, structures and pricing. Shortly thereafter the team reached out to road test a loan index created from Lincoln’s quarterly valuations of 2,400 private companies. Metrics included total return, price, spread, and yield to…
News reached us from Mars of the first powered Earth aircraft to fly on another planet. Ingenuity, a helicopter with four foot wide blades (and carrying a small swatch from the original Wright Brothers bi-plane), hovered at ten feet for 30 seconds then lightly touched back down. More flights are planned. “What the Ingenuity team…
Competition in leveraged loans, keen as it is, pales in comparison to the 2021 Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant. Reigning Mrs. World champion, Caroline Jurie yanked the tiara off newly-crowned winner Pushpika DeSilva, charging Mrs. DeSilva was not married. Mrs. DeSilva fled the stage in tears. Order was eventually restored. Mrs. DeSilva reclaimed her crown, and…