Too quick to PIK? The deals set to haunt European high yield

Participants in the European high-yield market say the collapse of Phones 4U, which left PIK-note holders wiped out, was a one-off event. But it serves as a stark reminder of the liquidity trap that lies in wait for yield-hungry investors chasing each other further and further down the credit curve. And it calls into question whether European investors have developed the necessary credit skills to invest in such risky assets.