Think

Inescapable: We’re going to assume the ups and downs of the major indices – and the corresponding movement in BDC common stock prices – will continue until it doesn’t. Since late August, the turmoil across all asset classes has caused the playbook of BDC fundamentals to be thrown out the window as new low after new low is reached, with a few head fakes along the way. As we write this the Dow Jones index is trading 200 points down in the Monday pre-market, which only means that more of the same is on the cards.  Admittedly, this past week, the BDC sector fared less poorly than the 3 major indices (Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500), but that could reverse itself this week, whether the broader markets go up or down. All we are sure of is that the BDC sector cannot disentangle itself from whatever direction the markets are headed. Here is the chart showing the price of the UBS Exchange Traded Note with the ticker BDCS – which includes most every BDC player – since August 30, 2018, roughly when the market dramas began, compared to the main indices.

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Market Mayhem: As we discussed at length already in our premium BDC Common Stocks Market Recap, last week was surprising as the BDC sector – and many individual BDCs – fared much better than the main indices and all the main categories from investment grade to “junk”. However, we’d be very surprised if the BDC sector can continue to remain uncorrelated with the broader markets for very much longer. As this chart below shows – comparing the price progress of the Exchange Traded Fund SPY, which is based on the S&P 500, and the exchange traded note with the ticker BDCS,which reflect the BDC sector – the two have moved pretty much in tandem since the decline began in the markets on September 20.