Think

Download: LFI BDC Portfolio News 9-10-18

As promised, loan arrangers rolled out a big September calendar of M&A deals brimming with new money seeking to take advantage of the late-August lull and a favorable funds flow picture following the busiest month for CLO issuance since March 2015. High-yield, too, kicked back into high gear, driven in part by coordinated cross-border deals for some of the same issuers currently being reviewed by loan accounts, while restructurings drove some of last week’s lively secondary action.

Loan investors are kicking the tires on a trio of large M&A deals that will set the tone for the market in the coming weeks not only for the other transactions already launched but also for those to come later this month. Traders, too, are awaiting clearing levels on these jumbo deals—which are being talked wide of where single-B executions printed earlier in the year—as well as to see how the market absorbs the supply once these deals allocate.

BDC COMMON STOCKS

Ended Well

Like a good beach novel, the BDC sector ended the summer in a satisfying manner.

The UBS Exchange Traded Note with the ticker BDCS – which is based on the Wells Fargo BDC Index – and which we use as a sector proxy, closed at $21.00.

That was 1.50% above the prior week’s end.

A quarter over quarter coupon spread increase can be an early warning sign for investors and restructuring advisors that the issuer may be facing financial troubles.

What do we mean by “coupon spread increase”? First, the coupon is simply the annual interest payment paid by the issuer relative to the loan or bond's face or par value. Coupon spreads compare the interest rate differential between two loans or bonds. Say the coupon rate is 5% in the first quarter of the year, and then changes to 7% the next quarter. This would cause a coupon spread increase between it and the coupon of a comparable loan or bond. [source]

An increased coupon spread from one quarter to another is an indicator that something happened – it does not mean there is imminent risk of default. If a company does not meet its obligation to its lenders, it may be required to take some sort of action to make good on its promises of repayment or otherwise remain in good faith. One such action could be an increase of the coupon payment.