Lumen’s CFO Looks Ahead After ‘Moonshot’ Debt Deal That Worked

Lumen Technologies is reducing leverage and reinventing itself as an AI play after completing one of the biggest-ever out-of-court debt restructurings. “We had to keep as many winners as possible if we were going to be able to pull this off,” Chris Stansbury, the company’s president and chief finan…

Hedge Fund Andromeda Warns of ‘Titanic’ Debt Disaster as Yields Soar

High global government yields are a growing threat to corporate debt markets, according to London-based hedge fund Andromeda Capital Management. “You either have to let long-term yields go up — and with that you can cause a credit crunch, especially with all the AI borrowing that’s happened — or yo…

Columbia Threadneedle Scans AI Debt Rush for Alpha Opportunity

Columbia Threadneedle is looking to outperform by buying into the flood of debt from companies building artificial intelligence infrastructure. “It’s really the best place to try to find some volatility and some alpha opportunities here, as long as you can remain nimble,” Tom Murphy, the $715 billi…

‘Things Are Going to Get Crazier’: AI Debt Deluge Recalls 2007 Risks

Massive borrowing by artificial intelligence companies — some of it to fund their own customers — risks inflating a technology-sector bubble, according to Seaport Research Partners. “Things are going to get crazier,” Jay Goldberg, the firm’s senior analyst for semiconductors and electronics, tells …

BMO Slashes Junk Debt Holdings as Geopolitical, Economic Risks Spread

BMO Asset Management, which oversees almost C$300 billion ($218 billion), has cut its junk-bond holdings and moved into safer parts of credit as geopolitical and macroeconomic pressures mount. “We love the movie — we’re still there — but we’re just getting a seat closer to the exit,” Earl Davis, th…

LBO Debt Coming Due Is Next Big Test for Credit Markets, Says ICG

Companies need to move fast to refinance leveraged-buyout debt coming due over the next few years, according to ICG. “Folks should start getting ahead of it because the traffic jam may be more the issue than anything,” David Saitowitz, the $126 billion global alternative asset manager’s head of US …

Investors Keeping Score on 'Bad PIK', Benefit Street Partners' Kumar Says

Investors are increasingly wary of lenders who dish out so-called bad PIK, or payment-in-kind interest, to help struggling portfolio companies avoid default, according to Anant Kumar, global investment strategist at Benefit Street Partners, the private credit arm of $1.7 trillion asset manager Fran…

Wellington Passes on Data Center Debt, Questioning Long-Term Value

Data-center debt returns are falling, risk is rising and there’s uncertainty over what the properties may be worth in the long run, Wellington Management says. “We think a lot about that replacement value when evaluating data centers,” Sonali Wilson, the $1.3 trillion manager’s lead investment dire…

Bull Run in Loans Slams CLO Equity Buyers, Says Eagle Point’s Majewski

Collateralized loan obligations face a second straight year of equity losses, according to Eagle Point Credit Management, a major buyer. “Where we stand right now, it’s certainly possible,” Tom Majewski, the $14 billion private-credit manager’s founder and managing partner, says in this episode of …

Sona’s CEO Sees ‘Exciting’ Growth in Asset-Based Finance, SRTs

Sona Asset Management is looking to expand its business in asset-based finance and significant risk transfers as public and private debt markets converge. “The thing that excites us the most is the scope for growth in ABF markets here in Europe,” Henrik Johnsson, the London-based hedge fund’s chief…