Private Credit – The Final Reckoning (Second of a Series)
Those who talk about risks in private credit should also keep in mind that investors always look at relative risk. For example, Moody’s analysts observe that without a sustained downturn since the GFC, “private credit has not been truly tested, only quizzed.”
Fair enough. But how did public credit fare over that period? As the analysts also remarked, “Covid defaults could have been materially worse without private credit.” And when the Fed started cranking up interest rates in 2022, the leveraged loan market went off-line for two years! Direct lenders again came to the rescue. Failing quizzes is still failing…
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Latest news
US leveraged loans returns turn negative in October
The Bloomberg US Leveraged Loan Index (Ticker: LOAN) has returned -0.26% this month through October 21, reducing its year-to-date return…
M&A activity begins to tick upward
In the third quarter of 2026, acquisition-linked loan volume across North America and Europe reached about $47 billion, up from $30.6 billion in Q2 and $29.5 billion a year ago.