— John P. Hussman (@hussmanjp) May 21, 2018
Leveraged loan rush sees borrowers gain power – credit quality and lender protections disappear
Two years ago Valeant was under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and investors were questioning its opaque accounting. That meant the Canadian drugmaker had to pay dearly when it amended the terms of its loans to reduce its risk of default.
Now, the company, which in July will rebrand itself as Bausch Health, is firmly in control of the refinancing of a loan. The reversal in the balance of power between the drugmaker and investors is a striking example of white-hot demand for leveraged loans, or those made to speculative grade-rated borrowers.
Investor appetite for floating-rate debt is high as the US Federal Reserve stays on track to raise borrowing costs this year. This means companies such as Valeant have a wide open window for refinancing their existing loans — and on favourable terms.
Silicon Valley tech bubble is larger than it was in 2000 and the peak is already behind us t.co/3zgHgQuFLu pic.twitter.com/88GoTAzMia
— Jesse Felder (@jessefelder) May 22, 2018
when share buybacks go wrong… pic.twitter.com/OD7sCQGpd9
— StockCats (@StockCats) May 22, 2018