Loans and High Yield

Clauses to stop investors who are ‘net short’ a particular credit influencing any restructuring or default are becoming more common, with buyout debt for Bain Capital’s Kantar spinout and Blackstone’s Merlin take-private including the new terms. These may not be watertight, but that doesn’t matter — the point is to make it awkward for investors taking this approach.

Health and Happiness International Holdings, a China-based supplier of paediatric nutritional and baby care products, has returned to the loan market for a multi-tranche transaction.

Real estate developer Helenbergh China Holdings has priced its first dollar bond, raising $300m amid constant demand for yield from investors.

The bond leg of the loan-dominated buyout packages for Kantar and Merlin hit the market on Monday, giving investors a chance to buy subordinated debt in size. But both Bain Capital, and Blackstone, the sponsors, have included controversial provisions to limit the rights of noteholders who are ‘net short’.

TDR Capital’s EG Group, formerly known as Euro Garages, started marketing high yield bonds in dollars and euros this week to part-fund its takeover of US peer Cumberland Farm, its largest acquisition during a two year spree that has left investors holding billions of the group’s debt. The Cumberland purchase has pushed EG’s bonds issued in May around five points lower.

Chailease International Finance Corp has closed its third offshore loan of the year, finding demand from 17 lenders for a $300m facility.

Commerzbank has come through a period of intense scrutiny with a no-nonsense strategy that reflects its culture. A dash of investment banking ambition is thrown in, writes David Rothnie.

For Canadian pension fund CDPQ, direct investments in private equity have become a crucial part of portfolio management. As the political debate around PE firms heats up globally, the Quebec pensioners are enjoying the fruits of CDPQ’s foray into the risky, demanding asset class that is off-limits for many smaller pension funds.

International G3 currency bond issuance in Asia is set to surpass 2018’s numbers before the end of the year, as relatively stable market conditions provide borrowers with fundraising opportunities. But DCM bankers warn that things could turn in the blink of an eye, as geopolitical tensions threaten to disrupt their fourth quarter business. Morgan Davis reports.

Italian information technology company Almaviva took a plunge far below par in the bond markets this week as investors mulled S&P’s rating cut from B+ to B. The rating agency fears that Almaviva will struggle to keep its leverage ratio in check because local telecommunications companies are abandoning it for cheaper alternatives in eastern Europe.

A brutal market for auto suppliers and a string of dividend deals have left Lumileds, a maker of LED lighting and an Apollo portfolio company, staring at a leverage level which could top 14 times by year-end, according to Moody’s. The company’s loan saw the largest price fall in Europe over the last quarter, according to IHS Markit, and is now bid around 47, compared with 70 in June.

Leveraged credit investors are keen to put cash to work this week, and arrangers see a plausible window to execute deals. Opportunistic and strategic financings are both on offer. UK issuers are well represented, nipping through a window before political uncertainty grips the market over the Brexit deadline at the end of the month.