China’s $1.7 trillion hangover

China’s $1.7 trillion hangover

Up to 40% of China’s $1.7 trillion LGFV loans are at high risk of default. What’s a panicking Beijing to do?

EuromoneyFXNews.com

EuromoneyFXNews.com

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October 2009

Investors squeezed in market melt-up

From a journalist’s point of view it is very refreshing to be writing about investors pouring into a market and achieving more than 50% returns year to date – it feels quite like old times. But the performance of the high-yield bond market in recent months has also brought back some other rather uncomfortable memories.


Credit markets: Reversal of fortune


"Senior lenders used to be stroppy about high yield but there are going to have to be renegotiations"

William Healey, Picus Capital

"Cash balances keep building, so high-yield bond funds are being clobbered on a relative return basis," explains William Healey, chief executive officer at Picus Capital in London. "People can’t sit on the cash any longer. They have got to get yield because the index is killing them."

This has led to inevitable accusations of herd behaviour and lack of due diligence. Certainly the performance of some recent deals has been quite striking. Fiat recently came to the market with two drive-by deals, one three-year and one five-year. The three-year deal was launched at 99.36 to yield 9.25% and 55 days later...


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