Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

R.J. Gallo, deputy CIO of fixed income at Federated Hermes, addresses the recent DOJ move to investigate Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell and the possible impact on monetary policy, on the latest episode of ‘Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee’. Gallo, who will take up the fixed income CIO role in May, says we might see a more divergent FOMC where the votes actually matter. “Does that make them mo...

“I come into the year extremely bullish about fixed income and credit in general,” says John Lloyd, global head of multi-sector credit at Janus Henderson, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. The asset manager oversees nearly half a trillion dollars of AUM. Lloyd speaks about how markets are shrugging off some recent big geopolitical events because they do not impact earnings to...

While credit is “probably a four-letter word right now,” it is doing reasonably well, says Tom Majewski, founder and managing partner at Eagle Point Credit Management. “But headlines around the space will continue, and perhaps that unto itself creates some credit challenges,” he adds on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. Majewski unpacks the First Brands collapse and fraud in gen...

The degree of inflation the past few years has stretched the ‘K’ that defines the K-shaped economy, says Cindy Beaulieu, chief investment officer at Conning Noth America, in the latest ‘Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee’ podcast. Asset valuations and home prices have further added to the pressure. The labour market is central to consumers in both the top and bottom of the K. The upper cohort are parti...

The driver for 2026 will be the real step-change in capex requirements all around the AI data boom and the needs of hyperscalers, said Fabianna Del Canto, co-head of EMEA capital markets at MUFG, on the latest episode of the ‘Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee’ podcast. “The absolute quantum required by the data centres dwarfs really any other type of infra-spend that we’re seeing,” said Del Canto. Amo...

Innovation on the liability side is allowing insurance companies to change their funding costs and be more competitive, says Gary Zhu, deputy chief investment officer of insurance at AllianceBernstein (AB), in the latest episode of ‘Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee’. Zhu discusses the proliferation of insurance capital into private assets. He explains that dynamic has to do with lengthening lifespans...

The end of the US government shutdown has paved the way for a “renewed melt up,” says Matt King, founder of Satori Insights, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. Not just risk assets like equities and credit, but things like gold and Swiss francs, as people worry about how this ends – even as the tide of easy money pushes everything upwards, says King, formerly Citi’s global mar...

The bankruptcies of auto sector firms First Brands and Tricolor Holdings hold “lessons for the future” for credit investors, says Tetragon co-CIO Dagmara Michalczuk on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. “The governance issue, although it seems like a soft and fuzzy idea, is incredibly important,” Michalczuk says. “Investing with folks that are not transparent – that has its risks...

“There are lots of mixed signals out there,” says Chris Wright, president of Crescent Capital Group, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. That’s creating uncertainty. “When we think about the investment environment, we approach it with caution.” On the bankruptcies of First Brands and Tricolor, Wright doesn’t see them as canaries in the coalmine or a tipping point in the economy...

Bret Leas, co-head of asset-backed finance at Apollo Global Management, speaks about this booming segment of private credit with Credit Exchange host Lisa Lee, managing editor at Creditflux and editor-at-large at Debtwire. Leas can see the private credit market exceeding the current growth forecast of $40 trillion, and that will have repercussions. “The financing toolkit has gotten so much broader...

“The idea that default rates will go up over time is not particularly difficult to get to,” says Jake Pollack, head of global credit financing and North America credit trading at JPMorgan, on the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. “The markets have been very sanguine, and it won’t be surprising if we see more defaults in the coming months and even years.” Corporate America is doing well...

“Underneath is a lot of volatility. Companies are struggling. You’re seeing really wide dispersion,” says Greg Peters, co-chief investment officer at PGIM Fixed Income, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. Companies, both public and private, are defaulting at a higher rate than you would expect given the macro backdrop. Investors have been too quick to dismiss the possibility of...

“It’s a huge differentiator” to have dedicated and experienced personnel to deal with struggling borrowers, says Tim Lyne, CEO of private credit specialist Antares Capital, in the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. Recent entrants, funds raised in the past five years, often do not. On the M&A front, Lyne doesn’t expect to see a great volume of M&A transactions this year, or inde...

“Existing investors are probably too long the dollar. They enjoy a very good ride. Valuations are expensive. It makes sense to take profit,” says Grégoire Pesques, CIO, global fixed income at Europe’s largest asset manager Amundi, in the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. The US, UK, many Eurozone countries, Japan – all have been spending profusely, causing deficits to be a big issue al...

“Long-term, I think the game is over from a buyout perspective. I think private capital has won that game,” says Randy Schwimmer, vice-chairman and chief investment strategist at Churchill Asset Management, a leading middle market financing and investment firm with $55 billion in AUM. In the latest episode of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee, Schwimmer notes 90% of the leveraged buyouts c...

“One interesting canary in the coal mine that has not been materially recognised, is the health of the consumer,” says Dan Zwirn, CEO, CIO and co-founder of Arena Investors, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. Zwirn has observed delinquencies in unsecured obligations increase materially, as well as stress in areas like the sub-prime auto market. Original issue consumer lenders...

“Volatility is now certain. Before, we feared chaos because no-one knew what was coming. Now, it’s priced in” – Alan Schrager, senior partner at Oak Hill Advisors, in the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee. Focus on Treasury markets, advises Schrager. “As a professional investor, what we look at are actually the Treasury markets. They’re sending this signal that there’s this risk inhe...

The likelihood of a September rate cut has edged higher. “They will move ahead with that,” predicts Brad Rogoff, head of global research at Barclays, in the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. He adds, however, that the market “does need to get used to lower job numbers,” citing what’s currently taking place with immigration and fewer people coming into the workforce. “Just to have a hea...

“We’ve been increasing our exposure to prime office,” says Michael Buchanan, chief investment officer at Western Asset, a fixed income specialist owned by Franklin Templeton, in the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. New York office property, especially the higher end, is doing very well, Buchanan observes. Also attractive are hotels, lodging, offices, multi-family accommodation and war...

“From what I could see in our proprietary data, we are seeing a bit of a slowdown,” says Lauren Basmadjian, head of liquid credit at Carlyle, a powerhouse with USD 199bn in credit assets under management, in the latest ‘Credit Exchange’ podcast with Lisa Lee. It's early days, with only about 10% of the portfolio companies that Carlyle lends to having reported thus far. Cautioning that it’s not ful...

“There’s nothing more compelling than live sports,” says Mark Attanasio, co-founder of asset manager Crescent Capital Group, on the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. The marketplace, now some USD 3tn in size, has the most-watched programs in media, as well as the ability to bring communities together. Attanasio, who is the principal owner of the Major League Baseball team the Milwaukee...

Corporates have showcased resilience in navigating policy shifts, according to Amanda Lynam, Head of Macro Credit Research within the Portfolio Management Group at BlackRock, on the latest edition of the ‘Credit Exchange’ podcast with Lisa Lee. Lynam also noted the surprising resilience of corporates to navigating a higher cost of capital. But she advises monitoring the very important feedback loo...

“I’ve continued to see large investors, both on the individual side [and] on the institutional side, continue to rotate their portfolios into fixed income,” said Wayne Dahl, co-portfolio manager of global credit and global credit investment grade strategies at Oaktree Capital Management, on the latest edition of the ‘Credit Exchange’ podcast with Lisa Lee. Economic growth will slow, forecast Dahl,...

“We've done our first trades and some of the first trades in the industry in investment grade private,” says Matt Eagan, who heads the full discretion team at Loomis Sayles and oversees USD 80bn of AUM, on the latest edition of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. Eagan, who sits on the asset manager’s board of directors, likens investing nowadays to Ozzy Osbourne’s song Crazy Train. Structu...

“We know there’s a big pan-European need for financing,” says Mathew Cestar, president of Arini, one of the fastest growing alternative credit managers, on the latest edition of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee. Cestar, who has more than 25 years of experience in European credit markets and once headed a major investment bank, details the evolution of capital markets in the region, from h...