About $23 million of Federal-Mogul was auctioned off Wednesday in the 69 range as investors believe that asbestos claims will be settled soon. Last week the name traded as high as 66 before slinking back into the 62-63 range following reports that Carl Icahn and other bondholders have struck a deal with asbestos claimants. It is still unknown exactly how the bank debt will be dealt with as the restructuring negotiations continue, but investors are looking for value in near-term resolutions, explained one dealer.
Roughly $10 million of Enron is believed to have traded in the 11 3/4 range on Monday with the company's 8K filing which estimated the company would write-down $14 billion in assets. Owens-Illinois has carved out roughly $500 million of its revolver for a term loan and more than $10 million has traded to more traditional par players in the 99 3/4 to 101 1/4 range. The transaction has not closed yet but dealers are trading the name on a "when-issued" basis. The carve out was designed to make the paper more attractive to institutional buyers. The new piece holds a coupon of LIBOR plus 2 1/2%.