US LevFin issuance slips to US$200bn despite historically active August For US LevFin, we saw trends of previous months continue to play out in August: (1) Defense over offense, with issuers largely focused on managing liabilities versus making acquisitions; (2) Strategic M&A driving the majority of underwritings; (3) Rate-sensitive LBO trades struggling to catch bids…
Near-term BDC loan maturities remain limited The loan maturity profile of BDCs, the most transparent part of the direct lending universe, is not pointing to any big deterioration in the near-term…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
BDC AUM hits a new record, topping US$500bn The upward growth trajectory of BDCs shows no sign of slowing, with assets under management (AUM) climbing to a record US$503bn in 2Q25, representing a US$28bn increase from the prior quarter and a whopping US$128bn gain in the last twelve months…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member?
LevFin books new issuance record in July thanks to loan repricings, while growing M&A business shouldn’t be overlooked US leveraged finance issuance topped US$236bn in July, eking a new all-time monthly high for the business…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
Total leverage on sponsored middle market deals ticked up in the 2Q 2025, driven by higher senior leverage Total leverage on sponsored middle market deals ticked up to 4.56x on average in 2Q25, driven by higher senior leverage…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
2Q25 US MM LBO volume down 30% quarter over quarter Middle market LBO loan volume totalled US$10.28bn in the second quarter, down 30% compared to 1Q25 results but up 2% compared to the year ago period…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
Unitranche spreads hover around recent market lows The most recent quarter was marked by intense competition among direct lenders and lower than hope for deal flow. In turn, spreads continued to hover around recent lows despite sporadic wider market volatility…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
2Q25 Total US direct lending LBO volume down over 47% quarter over quarter Talk of tariffs, inflation fears and anticipation of a congressional show down over the Trump administration’s “big, beautiful bill” contributed to heightened market uncertainty throughout much of 2Q25 and the direct lender loan market was not immune to the fall out…. Subscribe
As overall issuance slips in 2Q25, strategic M&A remains a bright spot for LevFin market Leveraged finance issuance topped US$343bn in 2Q25, down approximately 30% from 1Q25 and off nearly 40% versus 2Q24…. Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...
Supported by increase in high grade financings, 2Q25 US M&A loan volume up 64% y-o-y; LBO activity declines Brushing aside tariff woes, inflation concerns and geopolitical fears, US lenders raised US$228.5bn of new loan assets in 2Q25, a 29% jump compared to the year ago period, to push 1H25 totals to nearly US$407bn (compared to…