Leveraged loans

Investment firms and hedge funds are increasingly engineering bankruptcy loans and side deals to take control of Chapter 11 reorganizations from the outset, locking in rich rewards for themselves while potentially locking out rivals and lower-ranking creditors with little transparency. The trend is sure to speed up cases, but it also forces judges to make quick decisions that may shortchange some valid claims.

Promising vaccines may not reach the general public fast enough to save a number of struggling companies next year, and workout professionals and distressed investors are expecting smaller private companies will search for cash in 2021. They’re also anticipating that businesses of all sizes may struggle to adjust to changing consumer habits in a post-pandemic world.

After issuance dampened during the presidential election week, corporate bonds and loans are expected to roll out amid a large trove of post-election earnings reports.

Loan issuers in the hotel/leisure, oil and gas, retail and business equipment/services industries – which make up nearly a quarter of the S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index – are expected to lead the default tally over the next 12 months, according to a report from S&P.

Bankruptcy filings hit a three-month high as investors brace for economic shifts from the U.S. election that could force more large corporations to seek protection from creditors.

Annualized returns have now exceeded double digits for the 10th straight year, despite early 2020 volatility related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Property debt funds, including at Blackstone Group Inc., raised $14.1 billion from April through September, compared with $15.7 billion a year earlier, according to research firm Preqin Ltd. Yet the expected flood of deals has so far been just a trickle.

Bankruptcy filings are surging due to the economic fallout of Covid-19, and many lenders are coming to the realization that their claims are almost completely worthless. Instead of recouping, say, 40 cents for every dollar owed, as has been the norm for years, unsecured creditors now face the unenviable prospect of walking away with just pennies - if that.

investors need to remember that speculative-grade companies aren’t immune from going bust, no matter how wide open the debt markets might be.

Defaults have been milder than expected thanks to government relief and stricter underwriting. But with the crisis dragging on and policymakers unable to agree on a stimulus plan, loans to highly indebted companies remain at risk.