Weekly Notables
Loans delivered solid performance this week, as the Morningstar® LSTA® US Leveraged Loan Index (Index) returned 0.17% for the seven-day period ended September 12. However, the average Index bid price slipped by 3 bp, closing out the week at 96.71.
The primary market was active with acquisition-related deals and refinancing transactions this week. M&A and LBO issuance were about $6.6 billion, while refinancings amounted to $9.2 billion. Overall, total institutional volume for the week totaled $16.8 billion. In the forward calendar, net of the anticipated $17.3 billion of repayments not associated with the forward pipeline, the amount of new supply projected to enter the market is about $8.5 billion, up by $3.1 billion from last week.
Consistent with last week, CCCs average bid price continued to firm, gaining 28 bp over the course of the week. In contrast, both Single-Bs and Double-Bs experienced some softness, losing 4 bp. In terms of returns, CCCs was in the lead at 0.78%, while Single-Bs and Double-Bs were well-behind at 0.15% and 0.11%, respectively.
CLO formation remained strong and continued to support the asset class. There were seven CLO deals that priced during the week (including a fifth CLO deal for Voya). YTD volume is currently over $133 billion. On the other hand, retail investors withdrew $457 million from loan funds for the week ended September 11 (Morningstar Direct). There was one default (Wheel Pros) in the Index during the week.
Source: Pitchbook Data, Inc./LCD, Morningstar ® LSTA ® Leveraged Loan Index. Additional footnotes and disclosures on back page. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investors cannot invest directly in the Index. *The Index’s average nominal spread calculation includes the benefit of base rate floors (where applicable).