Carl Icahn's offer to buy the rest of Lear Corp. he does not already own sparked trading in the company's debt last week. Loan-only credit default swaps traded around 126-136, about 10 to 12 basis points wider. The term loan had settled a bit by mid-week and was trading around par 1/2-3/4; it had been trading around 101-101 1/4 before the announcement. The revolver was actively quoted last week, trading in the mid 98s, although not much traded, one dealer said.
From Monday to Tuesday, five year CDS moved about 30 basis points to trade around 323, according to Markit. Markit writes in a report that until Icahn provides more clarity on what his plans are, spread volatility should be expected.
A Standard & Poor's report said on Monday its ratings on Lear were not immediately affected by the bid from American Real Estate Partners, the affiliate controlled by Icahn. AREP currently owns about 20% of Lear, which has about $3.7 billion of total debt, according to S&P. A Lear spokesman and an AREP spokeswoman did not immediately return calls.