FICC Focus

“The thesis of AI is very big. It's probably one of the largest events in at least my lifetime,” says Monroe President Zia Uddin, discussing the creditor concerns about how AI may affect borrowers. “But what ends up happening is everyone kind of throws the baby out with the bathwater.” Uddin joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about why not all software is created equal when it comes to AI exposure, as well as the benefits of originating deals and having navigated prior cycles when it comes to responding to market volatility. Uddin also discusses the large domestic opportunity, growth areas for the firm, the current interest rate climate, the varied risk profiles of large vs. mid-market lenders and retail vs. institutional needs.

The atmosphere around the Federal Reserve has evolved as Chair Jerome Powell has grown more comfortable in press conferences, even amid legal and political pressure. Michael McKee, Bloomberg News international economics and policy correspondent, joins Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence chief US interest-rate strategist, and Will Hoffman, BI US and Canadian rates strategist, on this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series to discuss this and other issues. The conversation explores the future of Fed communications, including debate over the SEP and dot plot, whether a Kevin Warsh chairmanship could bring fewer public remarks from officials, and what changes might be realistic for the balance sheet, bank regulation and the Fed's broader mandate. They also examine dissents at the FOMC, how different types of policymakers adapt once inside the institution, and why this year's semiannual monetary policy testimony may not occur before Powell leaves office.

“What's different in private credit versus large broadly syndicated loans is in private credit they're very focused on the ability to incur additional debt, the ability to distribute assets or distribute money through dividends or otherwise,” says Stephen Boyko, partner and co-founder of Proskauer's Private Credit Group. “They're also incredibly concerned about the flexibility of the documents.” Boyko joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to discuss the evolution of private credit and private credit documentation, why current headlines are inconsistent with market trends and lender protections. The two also discuss key covenants, the incidence of default and the growing bias toward higher-Ebitda borrowers. 

“The theme that we're seeing a lot of is, do we do the same old LME that we would have done six months ago or a year ago, or should we do more of a comprehensive fixing of the balance sheet once?” says Brian Resnick, a restructuring partner and head of Davis Polk's Liability Management & Special Opportunities practice, discussing trends in liability management strategies as borrowers prepare for looming 2028 debt maturities. On this episode of the State of Distressed Debt podcast, Resnick joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Negisa Balluku and Phil Brendel to explore the growing consideration of more aggressive, one-shot deleveraging transactions and the advantages for lenders within the “in-crowd.” They also discuss the implications of banks expanding into private credit, what happens if anti-cooperation language gains traction, and the increasing sophistication of disqualified lender provisions. The podcast was recorded at the 22nd annual Wharton Restructuring & Distressed Investing Conference.

The soaring short-term yields in the UK may be somewhat overdone, says Bloomberg Intelligence European Rates Strategist Huw Worthington on this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series. BI's US Rates Strategist Ira Jersey and Bloomberg Economics Chief US Economist Anna Wong joined him on a webinar the morning of March 19 to discuss the Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and the European Central Bank meetings and the ramifications for rate markets. The trio also discuss some scenarios that were asked during the live Q&A portion of the webinar, and highlight how oil is currently forcing central banks to rethink inflation forecasts. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Emerging market central banks have adopted a hawkish bias following the war-induced oil shock, yet fiscal concerns could weigh on domestic currencies as local governments attempt to mitigate the negative impact of rising energy prices. Cem Karacadag, head of global sovereign debt at Barings, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief EM fixed income strategist, on this episode of the EM Lens podcast to assess portfolio risk, country exposure and institutional interest in the wake of the war in Iran. Karacadag and Sassower discuss issues ranging from curve shape and currency volatility to spread resilience and safe-haven positioning.

“We traditionally have turned over about 60% of the portfolio per year,” says AGL Credit Management's Chief Operating Officer Wynne Comer, discussing the company's approach to managing collateralized loan obligations. “That's 30% through prepayments, 30% through active management.” Comer joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to discuss the evolution of the CLO market past and present, her transition from banking into asset management, AGL's extension into private credit and the outlook for continued growth. Comer also explores due diligence, the state of regulation, where bonds play in the CLO market and factoring for AI. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Emerging market governments are implementing extraordinary measures to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, as the war-induced oil shock stirs stagflation pressures and pushes most asset classes lower. Gustavo Medeiros, head of EM research at Ashmore Group, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief EM fixed income strategist on this episode of the EM Lens podcast to assess underlying risks and potential opportunities should the war in Iran endure. Medeiros and Sassower focus on structural factors such as terms of trade and energy price pass-through when discussing the medium-term impact on EM growth and inflation expectations.

The yield curve may continue its steepening trend, with recent flattening just a cyclical retracement, Jason Granet, CIO of BNY says on this Macro Matter's episode of the FICC Focus podcast series. Granet joins co-hosts Ira Jersey and Will Hoffman of the Bloomberg Intelligence US Interest-Rate Strategy team to discuss the state of the economy, how BNY assesses the outlook and how it thinks about sizing risk. The focus turns to Federal Reserve policy, the Treasury yield curve and funding markets.  The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit suffered a software loan wobble and private credit contagion before the war in Iran, but it's been a safe haven vs. rates and equities since hostilities started. In this Credit Crunch podcast, host Mahesh Bhimalingam, global head of credit strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence and Sarah Harrison, senior portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments, discuss their prognosis on the war, reflect on how various credit classes fared during the technology supply wave and software wobble and then contrast credit performance with rates and equities since the Iran war began. They also discuss supply and relative value across high grade, high yield and loan markets, along with the road ahead amid this volatility. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

“The goal is to set the company up for longer-term success,” explained Rachel Murray, managing director at Moelis & Co. “If we're solving quarter-to-quarter, you're probably not investing in the business as you should; there's distractions for management, it's putting more pressure on the business, and frankly, probably their peers and competitors are going after their customers and creating noise.” In her conversation (7:40) with Bloomberg Intelligence's Negisa Balluku and Phil Brendel at the 22nd annual Wharton Restructuring & Distressed Investing Conference, Murray explored how private credit's growth and heavy dependence on relationships alter the restructuring dynamic, relative to traditional large cap leveraged finance workouts. This episode of the State of Distressed Debt podcast concludes (31:40) with BI's Noel Hebert joining Negisa and Phil to discuss the latest developments in First Brands, Saks, Multi-Color Corp., Ardagh Group and Serta.

Prediction markets may revolutionize the municipal bond industry by improving credit transparency, trading efficiencies, hedging strategies and portfolio management. On the inaugural episode of the Masters of the Muniverse podcast, MMA founder Tom Doe and Bloomberg Intelligence's new head of municipal research and strategy, Matthew Gastall, discuss the possibilities and promise of prediction markets. They also explore potential policy actions in regions exposed to the greatest infrastructure and energy risks. The Masters of the Muniverse podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

It's surprising that the Basel III Endgame proposal may raise bank capital requirements 3-7% given that President Donald Trump's mantra is deregulation, says Nathan Dean, Bloomberg Intelligence senior policy analyst. Dean joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, to discuss the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's stablecoin proposal implementing the Genius Act, along with open questions around rewards, yield and the Clarity Act. They also discuss the state of the Basel III endgame and related proposals that could reshape global systemically important bank capital through 2027, how tariff authority is shifting after a Supreme Court ruling — and why litigation may be the next battleground — and what the November midterms could mean for legislative gridlock, investigations and policy path dependence. There's also a quick detour to Ira's World Cup picks. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

As conflict escalates across the Middle East, the dominant frameworks for reading Iran, its system, its strategy, and its staying power are widely misunderstood.BI's Chief Global Derivatives Strategist Tanvir Sandhu is joined by Professor Anoush Ehteshami, International Relations in the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, to examine the geopolitical backdrop and its transmission into financial markets. The podcast is moderated by Karima Fenaoui, BI's Research Content Officer.

The Iran war challenges Bloomberg Intelligence's early 2026 dollar bear view via two key channels. First, the large-scale risk-off move over the past few sessions has revived the dollar's safe-haven appeal, reinforcing that in a broad-based flight-to-safety backdrop the greenback comes out stronger. Second, if the recent oil-price surge persists, it could lift global inflation and force markets to rethink expected 2H Fed rate cuts, weakening the yield-driven case for a softer dollar. In this episode of FX Moment, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and BI's Chief Asia FX and Rates Strategist Stephen Chiu discuss how higher oil prices can also support the dollar vs. the euro or yen through the net oil exporter vs. net oil importer dynamic. They also revisit BI's strong Asia FX convictions from early 2026, including a still-supportive yuan outlook.

“You can still find some attractive value within the front end of the securitized curve,” says Income Research + Management's Co-Chief Investment Officer Jim Gubitosi, when discussing the relative value within US spread assets. Gubitosi joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about the scaling of assets and strategies at IR+M, an active approach to security selection, the current credit climate for corporates and structured debt, and how market technicals may be contributing to recent resilience.

The cadence of announcements about housing affordability and deregulation may accelerate into the midterm elections in November, Bloomberg Intelligence chief MBS strategist Erica Adelberg says. On this Macro Matters episode of the FICC Focus podcast series, Adelberg joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, to discuss key takeaways from the Structured Finance Association's conference held Feb. 22-25 in Las Vegas. They explore GSE reforms, regulatory changes, shifts in credit scoring used while processing mortgage applications and the use of AI in the mortgage process. They also cover the talk around the health of the economy and why few expect a recession in the foreseeable future.  The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Global credit markets are tight, and strategic insights are essential for performance. In this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, hosts BI's global credit strategy team to highlight worldwide research, data and views. Tim Tan and Jason Lee (Asia), Basel Al-Waqayan (Middle East), Reto Bachmann (structured credit), Heema Patel (Europe) and Sam Geier (US) share takeaways on their recent research, relative value and major themes shaping their regions. Access their research on the Bloomberg Terminal at BI STRTA, BI STRTE, BI STRTN and BI EMFIG.

Emerging market fixed income is off to another strong start in 2026, with scope for further upside as long as the dollar cooperates and cross-asset volatility remains low. Christian Lawrence, chief cross-asset strategist at Cooperative Rabobank, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief EM fixed income strategist, to discuss investor positioning, currency hedging and event risk. They discuss drivers of institutional demand, including yield differentials, terms of trade, artificial intelligence and geopolitical developments.

News from the labor market and on the inflation front has been consistent with a fairly low-volatility environment, says Will Marshall, Goldman Sachs head of US Rates Strategy. On this Macro Matters episode of the FICC Focus podcast series, Marshall joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, to discuss rate volatility's move lower, expectations for the Federal Reserve's monetary and balance sheet policy, the Treasury yield curve and the relationship of swap spreads and Treasury yields. They also examine Goldman's outlook for Treasury supply. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

"Helping... investors to really understand what they could get in these markets is helpful because I think it is where our economy is moving, and we all want to be able to benefit from that growth," says Wellington's Director of Private Credit Emily Bannister, when discussing the shift to privately owned companies. Bannister joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about public-private convergence, leveraging Wellington's deep public market history, transitional real estate and growth equity. The two also touch on private credit in oil infrastructure, and positioning the business for growth.

Credit and high yield had a good 2025 despite tariffs and rate volatility, as spreads held their ground. Will 1Q sustain this resilience, and why? Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence global head of credit strategy, discusses the results of the BI 1Q26 Investor Survey and the market outlook with Ashwin Palta, global high yield PM at BNY Investments Newton. They discuss tight spreads, Fed actions and impending US tech sector supply into Europe, along with distress and default rates. This podcast also covers survey results on investor positioning, sentiment, key return drivers, supply forecasts and relative value across asset classes (high grade vs. junk), geography (Europe vs. US), ratings and sectors.

The G-10 FX narrative has mainly been dollar- and structurally driven year-to-date, while euro headlines have been sidelined. This could change into 2H as European fiscal stimulus starts to lift the region's economic narrative and validates the ECB-driven relative yield advantage into 2H. In this episode of FX Moment, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and Constantin Bolz, Head of G-10 FX for UBS's Chief Investment Office, focus on the euro side of the bullish euro-dollar view and how a cautiously optimistic euro macro narrative can be consistent with a euro-dollar break of $1.20. They also present their strongest G-10 FX convictions for the year — on pro-cyclical currencies including the Aussie dollar and the Norwegian krone — and touch on expected Swiss franc and yen fortunes for 2026.

“It is the inconsistency of decisions which oftentimes bedevils a company's ultimate success. You create that consistency. You can also push decisioning down from the C-suite into the next operating level. That creates dynamism and speed in decision-making. Speed in decision-making creates faster turns in the capital in the business,” says Andrew Milgram, managing partner and chief investment officer of Marblegate Asset Management. Milgram discusses how his firm works with portfolio companies to improve processes for better operational outcomes in this episode of the State of Distressed Debt podcast. In his hour-plus conversation with Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert and Phil Brendel, Milgram shares his perspective on how Marblegate's direct-investing approach and focus on the middle market de-emphasizes the credit cycle. He also discusses First Brands Group, liability management exercises and his outlook for 2026. The podcast concludes with BI's Negisa Balluku joining to break down the latest legal developments at First Brands and Serta, followed by a discussion with Brendel and Hebert around Saks' DIP battle with Amazon and Axonic.

“Hybrid is the ultimate in creative solutions,” says Apollo's co-head of equity and head of hybrid, Matt Nord, when discussing the firm's fast-growing hybrid strategy and the types of solutions that may allow it to triple in scale over the coming years. Nord joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about controlling for downside, the benefits of scale and why the lack of realizations across private equity is creating a need for more tailored funding solutions. The two also discuss Apollo's investment ethos, including its value orientation and pursuit of “excess return per unit of risk.” The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

The Japanese bond market has experienced significant volatility and increased currency intervention risks this year. Ahead of the snap election in which the prime minister is seeking a renewed mandate, this edition of the All Options Considered podcast features BI's Chief Global Derivatives Strategist Tanvir Sandhu in conversation with Kristi Govella, Associate Professor of Japanese Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. They discuss Japanese politics, the fiscal outlook and implications for the market.

Housing affordability challenges are a feature, not a bug, Bloomberg Intelligence chief MBS strategist Erica Adelberg says. On this episode of the Macro Matters podcast, Adelberg joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, to discuss Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buying $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities, recent proposals aimed at improving affordability for first-time home buyers and shifts in her views on relative value in the MBS market. Adelberg notes that efforts by the Federal Reserve or US government to address housing affordability could raise longer-term risks. 

“There's no binary differentiation between capital solutions and restructuring anymore,” says Lazard's co-head of Europe Restructuring and Liability Management, Sam Whittaker, when discussing the continuum of solutions available to debtors under stress. Whittaker and Lazard's co-head of European Debt Advisory and Capital Solutions, Tom Howard, joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to discuss the current stressed and distressed landscape in Europe, sectors of concern, the evolution of balance-sheet solutions and documentation flexibility. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

“We'll risk-manage the portfolios such that, when beta is an uncompelling opportunity set, we have more risk-management overlays in place. And luckily, where we are today with the short rebate that you get paid to borrow and short bonds, it's not that much of an opportunity cost,” says Beach Point Capital Portfolio Manager and Head of Structured Credit Benjamin Hunsaker, discussing limited excess-return prospects in the context of long-short strategies. Hunsaker joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to explore the climate in consumer and mortgage-backed credit products, the effect of policy headlines, supply-side housing issues and opportunities in commercial real estate.

A currency is like the equity of a country, so the dollar's recent decline is akin to a drop in the stock of the US, says Morgan Stanley Global Head of Macro Strategy Matt Hornbach. He joins this edition of Macro Matters, part of the FICC Focus podcast series with co-hosts Ira Jersey and Will Hoffman of the Bloomberg Intelligence US Interest Rate Strategy team, to discuss the US and global economic and central-bank outlooks. The trio examine how these may affect currencies, yield curves and risk assets across G3+ markets.

Americans seem to be overreacting to concerns that European investors might divest from US assets, Bloomberg Intelligence chief European interest rate strategist Huw Worthington says. On this edition of the Macro Matters podcast, Worthington joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, to discuss global rates volatility and how European countries might be able to respond financially to recent policy initiatives. They also exchange views on upcoming central bank meetings relative to pricing.  The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Bloomberg Intelligence's State of Distressed Debt hosts Noel Hebert, Phil Brendel and Negisa Balluku explore what 2026 may have in store for the leveraged finance markets. Noel and Phil open the podcast by discussing the scarcity of distressed opportunities as high yield spreads test all-time tights, with would-be catalysts for a reversal repeatedly shrugged off by a seemingly invincible credit rally. Negisa then breaks down the latest legal developments in newly bankrupt STG Logistics, First Brands and United Site Services. Phil shares his first-day thoughts on Saks Global Enterprises' Chapter 11 filing. The podcast concludes with Negisa's take on the fallout from the Supreme Court's denial of Hertz's petition for review and Phil's thoughts on Ardagh's Chapter 15 filing.

Private credit is becoming an alternative to loan financing and CLOs are driving most loan supply. In this Credit Crunch podcast, host Mahesh Bhimalingam, Global Head of Credit Strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence and Paul Mehta, Leveraged Credit Portfolio Manager at Aberdeen Investments, reflect on how both the US and European leveraged loan markets fared and on the outlook for loans in 2026. They discuss BI's leveraged loan outlook publication covering loan pricing, returns, supply and relative value vs. high yield bonds as well as loan growth relative to the bond market using Bloomberg loan and bond indexes. They also address private credit in detail including financing premiums, sizes and risks along with the outlook for CLO issuance, reinvestment risks, arbitrage evolution and implications for 2026.

SPX correlation is historically low, while the average single-stock volatility is elevated amid AI momentum. In this edition of the All Options Considered podcast, BI's Chief Global Derivatives Strategist Tanvir Sandhu is joined by Maxwell Grinacoff, Head of US Equity Derivatives Research at UBS. They discuss the dynamics of equity volatility, growth of derivative-based ETFs, shift in product composition and option flow as a source of market dislocations.

The quantity of reserves is now determined by the amount necessary to run the payment system, says Darrell Duffie, a professor at Stanford University. On the Macro Matters podcast, Duffie joins hosts Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief US rates strategist, and Will Hoffman, BI's US and Canada rates strategist, to discuss the Federal Reserve's policy implementation framework. They cover ongoing shifts in balance-sheet policy and a return to net Treasury purchases, changes to the US banking and payments systems and what those mean for the size of the Fed's balance sheet. They also touch on the nuanced challenges posed by stigma around the Fed's lending facilities. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

“Time can be a good thing. Time can be a very bad thing…I think the whole market moves a bit slower now when there are problems in terms of how those problems get dealt with,” says Axar Capital founder & CEO Andrew Axelrod when discussing the evolution in markets away from mark-to-market investment vehicles. Axelrod joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about how he sees the current credit backdrop, whether the 4Q credit flare-ups are cockroach, canary or just commonplace, and the challenges to recoveries from zombie owners. 

The 2026 dollar bear view is at the mercy of confirmed Fed dovishness, with the different stages of respective G10 monetary policy cycles likely to shape currency performances this year. If this is your central working assumption, then the case for dollar-yen downside becomes more compelling again, as does our Australian dollar bullish bias. In this episode of FX Moment, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and Brown Brothers Harriman Global Head of Markets Strategy Elias Haddad discuss their currency views for 2026, focusing on the key drivers and strongest G10 FX convictions. Haddad confirms a dollar-yen bearish case, while Childe-Freeman believes that the bullish Aussie view from 4Q25 can extend this year.

The Conference Board isn't expecting a recession, but Yelena Shulyatyeva, the research group's senior US economist, anticipates a meaningful slowdown in consumer spending. On this Macro Matters podcast, Shulyatyeva joins host Ira Jersey, BI's chief US rates strategist, and BI senior US and Canada rates strategist Will Hoffman to discuss the outlook for the US economy and its drivers in 2026. They talk about risks to the inflation profile, including the state of pass-through inflation from tariffs, and the path for core services. They also hit on AI's directional impact to productivity, geopolitical risks and potential shifts to Federal Reserve independence narratives.  The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

EM local government bond valuations look less appealing as we enter 2026, with cross-asset volatility poised to rise from historically low levels. Phoenix Kalen, global head of emerging market research at Société Générale, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief EM fixed income strategist, to discuss her year-ahead outlook for EM local rates and foreign exchange. Kalen and Sassower discuss investor positioning as we near the end of the EM monetary-easing cycle, with sentiment starting to fade amid potential for wider growth differentials between the US and Europe.

“All alpha is excess return, not all excess return is alpha,” says NISA CEO and Head of Investment Strategies David Eichhorn when discussing the use of appropriate benchmarks to measure performance and beta masking as alpha. Eichhorn joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about hedging liabilities and utilizing derivative overlays, targeting high information ratios and being a liquidity provider, and the evolution in liability management. The current rate backdrop and funded status for defined benefit plans, as well as leverage costs for BDCs are also discussed. Pensions & Investments (P&I) rankings were based on U.S. institutional,tax-exempt assets managed internally (covered for overlay) as of December 31, 2024; published on June 16, 2025. NISA paid a standard fee to access the full set of data published by P&I. Other survey participants may have reported overlay strategies on a basis other than notional values and, as such, direct comparison and rankings may not be appropriate. Visit www.pionline.com for more details, including past rankings and methodology.

As part of Bloomberg Intelligence's 2026 Fixed Income Markets Outlook: Opportunity Amid Policy Uncertainty event, this panel examines the outlook for junk bond yields and total returns, consumer health, the role of private credit and top sector picks. Stephen Flynn, senior telecom and media credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, moderates a discussion with Winnie Cisar, global head of strategy at CreditSights, John McClain, global co-head of high yield at Goldman Sachs and Meghan Robson, head of US credit strategy and desk analyst at BNP Paribas.

This special edition of the FICC Focus podcast features the recording of a Dec. 4 panel discussion exploring investment grade spreads, issuance and strategies to outperform in the year ahead. Moderated by Rob Schiffman, senior technology and internet credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, the conversation features Meghan Graper, global head of debt capital markets at Barclays, Amanda Lynam, head of macro credit research at BlackRock, and Krishna Memani, chief investment officer at Lafayette College. The panel gathered as part of Bloomberg Intelligence's 2026 Fixed Income Markets Outlook: Opportunity Amid Policy Uncertainty event. 

“Ad hoc groups are decades old at this point. Co-ops are new. Since when do we have to promise to be friends? I think [co-ops] are inherently lame.” John Sobolewski, Partner and Global Chair of Latham & Watkins' Liability Management Practice, sat down with Bloomberg Intelligence's Negisa Balluku and Philip Brendel at the Beard Group's 2025 Distressed Investing Conference on Dec. 2. John shared his views on the LME landscape's evolution and direction, jurisdictional considerations, and why he suspects the pervasiveness of cooperation agreements results from unhealthy lender distrust and advisers' self-interest.

“There's some articles out there that [suggest] once there's losses, there could be a bunch of fire sales of assets ... not true,” says KKR Partner and Global Head of Private Credit Daniel Pietrzak when discussing misunderstandings about private credit markets. “We've got $131 billion of AUM. Almost none of that has any redemption feature.” Pietrzak joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about volatility, continued market growth – especially in asset-based finance – and strategic partnerships like the company's recent deals with Harley-Davidson and PayPal. They also examine global opportunities, how AI factors into lending decisions and the benefits of diversification. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Event risk is poised to increase across the emerging-market fixed income landscape, as creditors must contend with elections in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Israel and Peru. Elina Theodorakopoulou, managing director and EM portfolio manager at Manulife Investment Management, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief EM fixed income strategist, to decompose year-to-date performance in emerging-market debt and set performance targets for 2026. Theodorakopoulou and Sassower touch on topics ranging from fiscal spending and monetary stimulus to new issuance and credit rating migration.

US commercial real estate is set to keep stabilizing in 2026 as liquidity improves and capitalization rates decline. Harbor Group International President Richard Litton joins Bloomberg Intelligence's chief fixed-income strategist, Damian Sassower, to discuss his company's approach to asset management amid an affordability crunch that shows no sign of abating in the year ahead. Litton and Sassower discuss the various loan types and financial structures that institutional investors can access across the US commercial real estate market.

Global credit markets are tight, and strategic insights are essential looking into 2026. In this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, hosts BI's global credit strategy team to highlight worldwide research, data and views. Tim Tan and Jason Lee (Asia), Basel Al-Waqayan (Middle East), Reto Bachmann (Structured Finance), himself (Europe) and Sam Geier (US) share takeaways on their market outlook, relative value and major themes shaping their regions. Access their research on the Bloomberg Terminal at BI STRTA, BI STRTE, BI STRTN and BI EMFIG. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Fed and yield-driven bearish US dollar view remains our central working assumption into 2026, yet this could be a bumpy run depending on how US economic and inflation data evolve throughout the year. Beyond the dollar outlook, we touch on a compelling bullish Aussie view, look into the Hungarian forint appeal, as well as expected yuan and Malaysia ringgit outperformance in Asia FX. In Latam FX, we see possible outperformance for the Mexican peso vs the Brazilian Real. In the last episode of FX Moment of the year, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief G10 FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and her team, Chief Asia FX and Rates Strategist Stephen Chiu, Asia FX Strategist Chunyu Zhang, EMEA EM FX and Rates Strategist Sergei Voloboev and Senior Latam FX Strategist Davison Santana present their strongest FX conviction into 2026.

“You're in the realm of the antitrust principles and the vapors that come off the big antitrust cases. I was very skeptical of the idea of a single company's debt instrument … being a product market,” says Jennifer Selendy, founding partner of Selendy Gay, discussing how the latest legal challenges in Altice and Selecta to creditor cooperation agreements in the liability management sector stand on the very periphery of the antitrust doctrine. In a conversation with Bloomberg Intelligence's Negisa Balluku on this episode of the State of Distressed Debt podcast, Selendy also discusses her involvement in the early days of LME litigation, in-court lessons and surprises, and the Incora saga. Prior to that, BI's Noel Hebert, Phil Brendel and Negisa discuss their outlooks for 2026. The podcast concludes with a discussion on the latest developments at Hertz, First Brands, Ardagh Group and Azul. The State of Distressed Debt podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

The Federal Reserve may cut its benchmark rate below 3% next year, bull steepening the yield curve beyond what's priced into forwards, says Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence chief US rates strategist. Jersey is joined by BI US and Canada rates strategist Will Hoffman on this episode of the Macro Matters podcast to discuss the BI Rates team's recently released 2026 US Treasury Market Outlook. The pair discuss the state and direction of the US economy and how Fed interest-rate and balance-sheet policies are likely to shift. They also touch on the supply-and-demand outlook for the Treasury market, as well as relative value across the yield curve. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit is tight and entering 2026 in uncertain times. Bloomberg's London Credit Outlook event addressed this theme in depth and was recorded for this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast. Host Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, was a panelist on the macro panel, along with Iain Stealey, International CIO Global Fixed Income, JPMorgan Asset Management and Ashwin Palta, Global High Yield Fund Manager, Newton Investment Management, and Bruce Douglas, team leader, leveraged finance at Bloomberg News, moderating. The panel addressed rates impact on credit, the sovereign crisis, AI hyperscaler issuance, default risk and value hunting down the capital structure.  The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.