The Credit Edge by Bloomberg Intelligence

Further acceleration in AI debt issuance has the potential to steer demand away from government bonds, according to Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager. “At some point it could have a crowding effect, but we are not there yet,” Gregoire Pesques, the firm’s chief investment officer for global fixed income, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tolu Alamutu in the late...

Private credit disarray spells opportunity for housing giant Pretium, which targets high returns by lending to US homebuilders. “Our private credit looks a little bit different than other private credit in the sense that we are secured, we have real good downside protection,” Jon Pruzan, the company’s co-president, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Erica Adelberg in this ...

Private lenders are going back to basics as debt trouble spreads, market participants tell Bloomberg News’ James Crombie in this special episode of the Credit Edge podcast. “Boring is beautiful, boring is better right now,” says Christina Lee, managing director at Oaktree Capital Management. The podcast also explores AI debt risks, software distress, how tight bond spreads can go and the state of US consumers with...

Robust demand from pensions and insurance companies will support corporate debt through macroeconomic headwinds and record supply, according to Goldman Sachs. “Spreads are tight to the prewar levels when the facts on the ground have unquestionably become more challenging,” Amanda Lynam, Goldman’s chief credit strategist, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Robert Schiffman ...

Bad software loans will cause credit-market trouble that recalls aspects of the global financial crisis, according to American Century Investments. “We call it max uncertainty with max complacency,” says Paul Norris, referring to tight credit spreads, in this episode of the Credit Edge podcast. “What’s interesting to me is the subprime crisis was very similar,” Norris, who leads the $330 billion asset ...

Blue-chip companies, including hyperscalers, may be jeopardizing their credit ratings by piling on debt, according to Principal Asset Management. “We have seen some downgrades, and I would expect that that would continue as borrowing ramps up,” Mike Goosay, the $600 billion manager’s global head of fixed income, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Julie Hung on the latest C...

Loose underwriting standards are increasingly troubling for private credit market participants, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. “This concern has been growing for a period of time,” David Havens, BI’s senior analyst for private credit, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie in this special episode of the Credit Edge podcast. Weak underwriting discipline was flagged by private debt market participants in a ...

JPMorgan Asset Management sees value in the debt of companies building out AI, but it’s keeping a close eye on how much more they plan to spend next year. “If we’re seeing capex increase at the same rate that we saw 2025 to 2026, I think that’s probably a little bit of a red flag,” Stephanie Doyle, a portfolio manager at the $4.3 trillion firm, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg In...

Secondary trading of private credit is on track to more than double last year’s record volume, according to HarbourVest Partners. “Through the first quarter we’re run-rating above $50 billion this year,” Greg Ciesielski, the $150 billion global private markets firm’s head of credit secondaries, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Jean-Yves Coupin in this episode...

Rookie private lenders that have to sell in a downturn are a potential threat to credit markets, according to Citi. “If the cycle turns and these tourists, rather than working out loans, just start selling them at below the economic value — what happens to the rest of the market?” Mickey Bhatia, the firm’s head of spread products, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s S...

Middle East shipping disruptions are boosting US companies bruised by cheap Chinese supply, according to Sycamore Tree Capital Partners. “It really slows down the ability for some of those Asian-based chemical companies to produce,” Trey Parker, the asset manager’s co-founder and chief investment officer, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Phil Brendel in the latest Credit...

US companies with $770 billion in loans are hitting a wall as interest rates stay elevated, according to Davidson Kempner. “We’re in year three of what’s already the longest default cycle in 20 years,” Suzy Gibbons, the hedge fund’s head of research, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s David Havens in the latest Credit Edge podcast. “About a third of the m...

A retail exodus from business-development companies has dragged their debt to levels that are starting to look attractive, according to MFS Investment Management. “Pressure for redemptions that they’re facing likely ends up creating some opportunities within the public credit markets,” Alex Mackey, the firm’s co-chief investment officer for fixed income, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomber...

Business development company turmoil is making direct lenders cautious on corporate debt risk, according to PGIM, which oversees more than $200 billion in private credit. “It’ll have a bit of a chilling effect,” Matt Harvey, the firm’s global head of middle-market direct lending, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Matthew Geudtner in the latest Credit Edge podcast. &...

The plunge in software debt creates opportunities to buy cheap loans from companies that will survive AI disruption, according to Permira Credit. “The market has overreacted,” Ian Jackson, the firm’s head of strategic opportunities, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Tolu Alamutu in the latest Credit Edge podcast. “The broad selloff in software has been such an inter...

A bank retreat from private credit piles pressure on business development companies already reeling from a wave of redemptions, according to SLR Investment Corp. “You’re starting to see banks get nervous and start to pull back,” the BDC’s co-Chief Executive Officer Michael Gross tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Arnold Kakuda in this episode of the Credit Edge podca...

Third Point is getting ready to scoop up credit assets that others have to sell to raise liquidity as cracks in the market spread. “This is probably one of the most exciting times to be a credit investor,” Shalini Sriram, the hedge fund’s head of structured credit, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Erica Adelberg in this episode of the Credit Edge podcast. “You are ...

Consumer discretionary companies are at risk of downgrades and default if the war in the Middle East drags on, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. “We’ll definitely see a bunch of companies that have been holding on finally shake out,” Jody Lurie, a BI credit analyst focused on leisure, travel and lodging, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie in this special episode of the Credit Edge podcast. Car rental fir...

Fear of software defaults amid AI disruption creates opportunity for high-yield debt buyers, according to Capital Group, which has $3.2 trillion under management. “Markets are adopting a bit of a shoot first ask questions later strategy when it comes to software,” said Shannon Ward, a fixed income portfolio manager who serves on the firm’s fixed income management committee. “There’s going to be some ba...