The Credit Edge by Bloomberg Intelligence

Magnetar Capital is scouring a $600 billion pile of troubled corporate bonds and loans for value as much of the debt comes due. “Yesterday’s buyout boom is today’s credit opportunity,” Austin Camporin, head of special situations at the $17 billion alternative asset manager, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Negisa Balluku in the latest Credit Edge podcast. “It...

Lumen Technologies is reducing leverage and reinventing itself as an AI play after completing one of the biggest-ever out-of-court debt restructurings. “We had to keep as many winners as possible if we were going to be able to pull this off,” Chris Stansbury, the company’s president and chief financial officer, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Reshmi Basu and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Phil Brende...

High global government yields are a growing threat to corporate debt markets, according to London-based hedge fund Andromeda Capital Management. “You either have to let long-term yields go up — and with that you can cause a credit crunch, especially with all the AI borrowing that’s happened — or you let the currency depreciate,” Alberto Gallo, the firm’s chief investment officer and co-founder, t...

Columbia Threadneedle is looking to outperform by buying into the flood of debt from companies building artificial intelligence infrastructure. “It’s really the best place to try to find some volatility and some alpha opportunities here, as long as you can remain nimble,” Tom Murphy, the $715 billion manager’s head of investment-grade credit, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligen...

Massive borrowing by artificial intelligence companies — some of it to fund their own customers — risks inflating a technology-sector bubble, according to Seaport Research Partners. “Things are going to get crazier,” Jay Goldberg, the firm’s senior analyst for semiconductors and electronics, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Robert Schiffman in the latest Cred...

BMO Asset Management, which oversees almost C$300 billion ($218 billion), has cut its junk-bond holdings and moved into safer parts of credit as geopolitical and macroeconomic pressures mount. “We love the movie — we’re still there — but we’re just getting a seat closer to the exit,” Earl Davis, the firm’s head of fixed income and money markets, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and...

Companies need to move fast to refinance leveraged-buyout debt coming due over the next few years, according to ICG. “Folks should start getting ahead of it because the traffic jam may be more the issue than anything,” David Saitowitz, the $126 billion global alternative asset manager’s head of US liquid credit, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Mike Holland in the latest...

Investors are increasingly wary of lenders who dish out so-called bad PIK, or payment-in-kind interest, to help struggling portfolio companies avoid default, according to Anant Kumar, global investment strategist at Benefit Street Partners, the private credit arm of $1.7 trillion asset manager Franklin Templeton. “If you’re a manager who wants to mask stress in the portfolio by doing that, you can probably fool some of ...

Data-center debt returns are falling, risk is rising and there’s uncertainty over what the properties may be worth in the long run, Wellington Management says. “We think a lot about that replacement value when evaluating data centers,” Sonali Wilson, the $1.3 trillion manager’s lead investment director for private credit, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s David Have...

Collateralized loan obligations face a second straight year of equity losses, according to Eagle Point Credit Management, a major buyer. “Where we stand right now, it’s certainly possible,” Tom Majewski, the $14 billion private-credit manager’s founder and managing partner, says in this episode of the Credit Edge podcast, when asked about the chance of negative returns. “While there were some credit pr...

Sona Asset Management is looking to expand its business in asset-based finance and significant risk transfers as public and private debt markets converge. “The thing that excites us the most is the scope for growth in ABF markets here in Europe,” Henrik Johnsson, the London-based hedge fund’s chief executive officer, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie and Bloomberg Intelligence’s Aidan Cheslin in the ...

SpaceX bondholders are bolstered by a fat equity cushion, high-grade ratings and a relatively small amount of debt outstanding — but they depend on founder Elon Musk, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. “There’s a huge risk there, and the rating agencies have actually pointed this out in terms of governance,” Robert Schiffman, BI senior technology credit analyst, tells Bloomberg News’ James Crombie in...

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 ...