As our faithful readers know, the Lead Left is a keen observer of the heavens. So it’s with great interest that an observatory in Crimea detected an interstellar visitor – a comet called Borisov, that will swing it close the Earth just in time for Christmas. According to one astronomer, “It might behave the same […]
This week’s commentary – Heads and Tails – was inspired by the discovery of a two headed snake in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. We’re not sure if this is a good omen or a bad one. But there’s evidence of both in the credit markets today. Public markets remain buoyed by the prospect […]
We recently joined a group of direct lenders for a round of golf. In between brilliant shotmaking we chatted about current trends in middle market leveraged loans. For one thing, it seems many of us experienced a remarkably busy August, with the competitive landscape equally challenging. Terms and structures have become as issuer-friendly as at […]
This week commentary, we take a look at large sponsored financings led by direct lenders. After Ares underwrote Thoma Bravo’s $1 billion Qlik deal in 2016, market observers thought this might lead to a wave of similar mega-buyouts led by the non-banks. Private credit providers have raised record funds in a variety of vehicles, allowing […]
Our commentary at Aug 5 2019 deals with the first fed rate cuts in over a decade, and the latest round of tariffs on China. How much weight will this uncertainty bear on the credit markets? A lot depends on whether this latest trade volley will be softened or retracted down the road. Depending on […]