FICC Focus

“The Federal Reserve was created to have a degree of what I like to call operational independence”, says Federated Hermes Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Fixed Income RJ Gallo on this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series. He joins host and Bloomberg Intelligence Chief Interest Rate Strategist Ira Jersey to discuss future movements of the Treasury yield curve, recent economic data and its quality, and effects of recent government policies such as tariffs and the budget. On monetary policy and the risks to Fed independence, he believes the Fed was created to have a degree of operational independence, but as an organization with board members appointed by political officials, it's not outside the political sphere. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit fared better than rates and equities through multiple crises this year across the globe — France, tariffs, Fed concerns and even the UK worries. In this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, host Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, discusses these crises and the multi-asset outlook with Iain Stealey, international CIO of global fixed income at JPMorgan Asset Management. They cover US, Europe and UK growth, inflation, central bank views and the dollar. The state of credit fundamentals and default expectations for the next year across Europe and the US are examined in detail, highlighting the resilience of credit in outperforming rates and equities. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Institutional demand has been slow to return to the muni market in 2025, leaving performance at the long end under pressure. Yet signs are emerging that banks, insurance companies, and crossover buyers may be stepping back in as tax clarity improves and relative value looks more compelling. In this episode of FICC Focus, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Karen Altamirano is joined by her former co-host, Eric Kazatsky, managing director and client portfolio manager at MacKay Shields, to discuss his new role, and how institutional money could help support the yield curve into year-end. 

The real yield curve may steepen from both ends much further then it has, Mizuho Securities Head of Macro Strategy Dominic Konstam says on this Macro Matters edition of FICC Focus podcast. Konstam joins host Ira Jersey, head of interest-rate strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence. After reviewing Konstam's career arc, the two discuss term premium and how shifts in the yield curve could effect risk assets. Konstam thinks Trump Administration policies will continue to weight on the dollar. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Fiscal policy returned to the forefront of G10FX drivers in early September — which isn't particularly positive for the dollar — and part of the structural bear case we identified earlier this year. In this episode of FICC Focus, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief G10FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and Dr Win Thin, chief economist at Bank of Nassau 1982 Limited argue that the dollar's next leg lower could be cyclical in nature, with any further weakening in US non-farm payrolls likely to engender continued Fed rate-cut talk into the September FOMC Meeting. Win and Audrey also acknowledge a less-supportive context for the euro, but conclude on enough dollar bearishness to validate $1.20 euro-dollar later this year. For now defensive FX such as the Swiss franc has its merits. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Commercial real estate debt strategies continue to unlock value for institutional investors, as providing credit solutions across the capital stack grows increasingly more complex. Jim Dunbar, Partner and Head of Real Estate Lending at Varde Partners, joins BI Chief Fixed Income Strategist, Damian Sassower, to discuss his firm's approach to identifying opportunities and managing risk in both commercial and residential real estate. Dunbar and Sassower discuss the role of flexible capital in real estate finance, with a focus on engineering returns, servicing loans and scaling strategies.

Defense burden-sharing among US allies is a cornerstone of President Donald Trump's international agenda, but has been overshadowed by tariff discussions. On this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series, George Ferguson, senior aerospace/defense & airline analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins host and BI chief interest-rate strategist Ira Jersey to discuss shifts in defense spending and weapon systems. They also examine how spending may shift based on proximity to threats. Ferguson assesses the companies that may benefit from these increased outlays, and some of the challenges in fulfilling orders. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Significant Risk Transfers or SRTs have been a crucial part of balance sheet management for banks and an attractive investment class within private credit for credit investors looking for alternatives to public credit markets. Demystifying SRTs and understanding the process and evaluation of these assets is crucial for credit investors. In this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Global Head of Credit Strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence hosts an investor, Matthew Moniot, Head of Credit Risk Sharing at ManGroup and a seller, James Plunkett, Head of Capital and Risk Distribution at Natwest along with Lento Tang, Senior Bank Analyst who has published a survey on SRTs, in a highly informative podcast. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

The perception of the UK economic outlook on a macro level may be perceived to be negative through the lens of social media. In this edition of the All Options Considered podcast, BI chief global derivatives Strategist Tanvir Sandhu is joined by Dan Hanson, chief UK economist at Bloomberg Economics to discuss the state of the economy, bond market volatility and the fiscal outlook.

“So it's a tough situation when you're managing a spread-based portfolio, like a CLO. And obviously we don't have the luxury of tightening the spreads on the liability side,” says Matt Bloomfield, partner at Palmer Square and president of Palmer Square Capital BDC, when discussing the current pace of re-pricings across the leveraged loan market. Bloomfield joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to talk about traditional and static CLOs, a less-conventional approach to business development companies and Palmer's roots in opportunistic credit. They also discuss relative value and the current credit landscape, the advantages of scale, diversification and leverage. 

The future of the dollar is dictated by the large overhang of unhedged dollar assets, says Hemant Baijal, head of macro alpha strategies at Invesco. Baijal joins Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence's head of US interest-rate strategy, and Will Hoffman, BI's senior US and Canada rates-strategy associate, on this episode of the Macro Matters podcast to discuss the world of international bond funds. They cover strategic approaches to managing global rates, credit and FX risks, and how those have shifted in recent months. They also explore relative value across nominal and inflation-linked curves. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Global credit is very tight and strategic insights are very valuable at this juncture. In this latest episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Global Head of Credit Strategy hosts the Global Credit Strategy team to highlight worldwide research, data and views. Meet Tim Tan and Jason Lee (Asia), Basel Al-Waqayan (Middle East), Heema Patel (Europe) and Reto Bachmann (Structured Finance) as you get to know their research and data along with their key views on the markets and themes they cover. All strategists discuss the place of their markets in world credit, relative value, and their new product launches. Visit BI STRTA, BI STRTE, BI STRTN and BI EMFIG to access all their research and data. Credit Crunch is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The record-breaking pace of muni issuance and investors' risk-off tone toward duration have driven a sharp steepening of the municipal yield curve, leaving it trailing other fixed-income sectors. In an environment also marked by market volatility and shifting policy dynamics, the case for active management in munis has never been stronger. In this episode of the Masters of the Muniverse podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Karen Altamirano talks with Jason Hannon, head of municipal strategy and senior portfolio manager at Wilmington Trust, about how this year's developments are shaping muni investment decisions.

“So for us, it's a $40 trillion market,” says John Cortese, head of portfolio management at Apollo, when talking about the mostly investment grade opportunity in private credit, including asset backed deals and corporates. Cortese joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to talk about where the growth comes from, the evolution of a secondary market and why private credit works for high grade borrowers. They also get into the shifting landscape in credit trading, the advantages of being big and fast, relative value plays and lessons learned from trading synthetics in the early aughts.

Emerging market economies are benefiting from better-than-expected growth and inflation expectations, with local rates looking set to outperform amid a more dovish US Federal Reserve. Dirk Willer, managing director and global head of macroeconomic research at Citigroup, joins Damian Sassower, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief emerging-market fixed-income strategist, to assess the fixed-income landscape, with implications for interest rate and currency markets across the globe. Willer and Sassower touch on topics ranging from systematic drivers and foreign positioning to FX-hedge flows and central bank reserves.

JPMorgan's Phoebe White, head of inflation strategy, says a September interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve risks pushing inflation expectations higher. She joins Bloomberg Intelligence Chief US Interest Rate Strategist Ira Jersey on this Macro Matters episode of the FICC Focus podcast to discuss how Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities and inflation derivatives work, how investors use them to hedge and JPMorgan's outlook for breakevens and real yields. The BI US Interest Rate Strategy team has recently published research on TIPS, including a market outlook and an analysis of market structure. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

“I want a decent proportion of my returns to be from actively trading either through themes, individual instruments or...between EM and DM, between Europe and the US,“ says Andrew Jackson, head of Investments and leader of the Fixed Income Boutique for Vontobel. Jackson joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert and Damian Sassower on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to talk beta vs. alpha exposures, current risk pricing across credit, the emerging-market landscape and the value in active management.

On the latest episode of Bloomberg Intelligence's State of Distressed podcast, Andrew Axelrod, founder & CEO of Axar Capital, shares how focused distressed debt buyers such as Axar Capital are often the best bid for middle-market troubled loans as they stand ready to commit capital and sweat equity to the turnaround. In his conversation with BI's Chief US Credit Strategist Noel Hebert and Senior Credit Analyst Phil Brendel (5:55), Axelrod touches on Axar's “loan-to-own” strategy, what he looks for in management teams, and the importance of “sticking to the process.” The podcast concludes with Negisa Balluku joining Noel and Phil for a roundtable discussion on At Home, Claire's, CommScope, LifeScan, the SCOTUS pitch in Serta, and Ardagh Group (1:04:33).

History suggests that technology improves lives and standards of living, despite the fears that often accompany it, says Brian Levitt, global market strategist at Invesco. On this Macro Matters episode of the FICC Focus podcast series, Levitt is joined by host Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence's head of US interest-rate strategy, and Will Hoffman, BI senior US and Canada rates-strategy associate, to discuss the state of the economy and long-term structural trends. The trio also dives into short-term inflation dynamics, strategic investment decisions in times of uncertainty and risks to currently priced narratives across asset classes. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

The cyclically and structurally dollar bearish narrative that dominated 1H have just been revived by the weakness in the July Non Farm Payrolls figures and associated dovish Fed expectations adjustment (cyclically dollar negative) as well as by the controversial and highly unexpected firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Chief (structurally dollar negative). Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief G10 FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman talks to Elias Haddad, Senior Market Strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman Investor about whether the recent US dollar rebound may be over already. Elias and Audrey agree that the dollar bear view stays in place beyond near-term summer distortions and with the $1.20 plus euro-dollar year-end case holding for now.

Real estate private credit has grown into a major source of debt financing for the US commercial real estate market, bridging the gap left by traditional banks and lenders. Josh Zegen, principal and co-founder of Madison Realty Capital, joins BI Chief Fixed Income Strategist, Damian Sassower to discuss his firm's approach to loan origination, acquisition, servicing and valuation. Zegen and Sassower discuss the role of flexible capital in commercial real estate, with a focus on financing costs, return expectations, market trends and institutional appetite.

There's a wall of money that is a transcendent supportive influence over global assets, says Russ Brownback, co-portfolio manager of the BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Fund on this episode of the FICC Focus Podcast. Chief US Interest Rate Strategist Ira Jersey hosts this Macro Matters edition delving into Brownback's views on the dollar remaining the global reserve currency, finding yield among development market sovereigns, technical factors supporting global asset markets, and his views around select opportunities to sell fixed-income volatility.

Mortgage-market investors will need to pay especially close attention to policy shifts and actions in coming weeks, says Erica Adelberg, chief mortgage strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence. On this Macro Matter's episode of the FICC Focus podcast series, Adelberg is joined by host Ira Jersey, BI's head of US interest-rate strategy, to discuss the mortgage-backed securities market. Adelberg explores how the MBS landscape is evolving amid recent policy shifts, including GSE-privatization discussions, the broadening of mortgage-credit access through the adoption of VantageScore, changes to VA loss-mitigation strategies and shifting demand across mortgage-backed securities products. The analysis also considers the influence of the Federal Reserve on MBS supply and demand dynamics. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

“From the beginning of 2024 till now, literally every six months you could set your alarm to it... the reprices were occurring,” says David Saitowitz, head of US Liquid Credit for ICG. Saitowitz joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to review the current landscape for CLOs, including the steady wave of repricings and refinancings, the quick recovery from April volatility and why he's cautious about the intermediate-term outlook. The two discuss growing the US liquid-credit business, staying disciplined amid market swings, control economics for the CLO equity tranche and much more.

Traditional safe havens are misbehaving as the once-distinct boundaries between emerging and developed markets begins to blur. Peter Kent, co-head of Emerging Market Fixed Income at Ninety One, joins Bloomberg Intelligence chief EM fixed-income strategist Damian Sassower to break down the risks and opportunities facing asset allocators across the globe. Kent and Sassower touch on global trade, supply shocks, capital flows, fiscal balances, investor positioning and currency volatility as the perceived safety of developed market debt is called into question.

The GENIUS Act is just the beginning of the regulatory process for stablecoins, notes Nathan Dean, senior policy analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence on this Macro Matters episode. Dean joins hosts Ira Jersey and Will Hoffman of BI's interest-rate strategy team to discuss why the act was created, how demand for Treasury Bills and repurchase agreements may shift over time, as well as briefly touching on the proposed change to the bank supplementary leverage ratio. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Disqualified lender lists may be counterproductive because when you get to the negotiating room “it's often the distressed funds that are the more ‘constructive' from the perspective of the sponsor” says Ross Rosenfelt, a managing director in Oaktree's Opportunities group. In this episode of the State of Distressed Debt podcast, Rosenfelt sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Negisa Balluku and Phil Brendel to explain why sponsors may be getting steered in the wrong direction when they put credit opportunity funds on their DQ list. He dives into Oaktree's approach to liability management exercises, cooperation agreements and why recent related antitrust bluster around those agreements isn't keeping him up at night (8:15). Prior to that, Brendel and BI's Noel Hebert discuss their shared amazement at both the equity and debt markets' ebullience. The podcast concludes with a round-table discussion on Sunnova, At Home, Wolfspeed, Marelli and Yellow Corp (1:06:00).

US Treasury yields are the lowest among the G3+, once hedged back to US dollars. Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence's US interest rate strategist, and Huw Worthington, his European rate strategy counterpart, take up the topic in this episode of the Macro Matters podcast. The analysts discuss central bank policy action and government bond markets in general. They also discuss why long-end yields have been more sensitive to fears of rising deficits than shorter-maturity bonds. Terminal users can view their note on how Treasuries are the lowest-yielding sovereign bond market, after the currency hedge, by clicking here.  The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit and high yield had a good 1H, shaking off tariffs and a spread rout with a strong recovery. Will 2H be as strong, and why? Thomas Samson, high yield portfolio manager at Muzinich & Co., joins Mahesh Bhimalingam, Bloomberg Intelligence's global head of credit strategy, on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast, to discuss the results of BI's 3Q High Yield Investor Survey, along with the market outlook. They also talk about dollar flows into euro-denominated assets, the trade war's effect on market dispersions, and how private credit and loan markets are influencing high yield and default rates in 2H. They cover 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.

Rates volatility has compressed with the Fed on hold and mean reversion of yields, but exhibited a bumpy path in 1H. In this edition of the All Options Considered podcast, BI's chief global derivatives strategist Tanvir Sandhu is joined by Nancy Davis, founder of Quadratic Capital Management. They discuss the dynamics of rates volatility and reliability of strategies to diversify portfolios.

The nearly 15% euro-dollar rally in 1H was fueled largely by dollar weakness and a potentially bullish cyclical case for the euro — especially expectations for a supportive fiscal and monetary policy mix — which may continue to support the outlook into 2H. Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief G10 FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman talks to Constantin Bolz, head of G10 FX for UBS' Chief Investment Office, about how evolving euro-area and US fiscal and monetary policy may help euro-dollar strength into 2H and beyond, depending on how the US economic story plays out. They also discuss the de-dollarization trend and how the SNB could address the challenge of an appreciating franc.

There will almost certainly be some stress later this year in funding markets, but it might fall short of the level required for the Federal Reserve to step in, Will Hoffman, Bloomberg Intelligence senior associate for US and Canadian rates strategy, says on this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series. Hoffman is joined by co-host Ira Jersey, chief US rates strategist, to discuss the recently announced potential changes to Basel capital rules, such as the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (ESLR). After discussing what it means (or doesn't mean) for Treasury markets, the pair unpack the biggest topics in the world of money funds, including the potential for stablecoin growth and tokenized money fund adoption driving net demand for T-bills. They also dive into the debt-ceiling unwind — covering T-bill net issuance patterns and the potential disruption to repo markets. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series. 

“If you were a client that was focused on North America, you're probably picking your head up a little bit and saying, ‘What else do you have away from North America that could be interesting?,'” according to Bryan High, head of Barings' Global Private Finance Group. High joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on this episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to talk about the benefits of a global platform amid uncertainty, when secondaries make sense, where the growth is in private credit and managing for effective leverage. They talk about being with a borrower through its life cycle, finding structures for less-conventional opportunities and much more. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

The Federal Reserve may cut faster and to a lower interest rate then the market is pricing, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief US Interest Rate Strategist Ira Jersey says on this Macro Matters edition of the FICC Focus podcast series. Jersey flies solo on this episode, discussing his takeaways from the June FOMC meeting, his view on the timing and pace of rate cuts and what it would mean for the Treasury yield curve.

As cross-asset volatility resets following peak tariff fear, the geopolitical risk premium in the oil options market has moved higher. In this edition of the All Options Considered podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief Global Derivatives Strategist Tanvir Sandhu is joined by Matt King, founder of Satori Insights, to discuss the impact of changes in central-bank reserves, liquidity and flows on markets.

“We are sourcing, identifying misunderstood, high-quality middle-market companies where we have a real edge...,” said Sandor Hau, Managing Director & President, Credit, at Charlesbank, who oversees the company's opportunistic credit investment team. Hau joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of the Credit Crunch podcast to discuss cutting teeth on the ground in the Asian financial crisis, missing out on the dot.com boom, a private equity approach to credit investing and tradeoffs between primary- and secondary-market investments. He also spoke about valuing heritage, leveraging learnings across the firm and portfolio companies and much more. The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Sentiment is improving across the emerging-market investment landscape, but it takes local expertise to manage risk and crystallize returns. Thea Jamison, Founder and Managing Director of Change Global Investment, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Chief Emerging Markets Credit Strategist Damian Sassower to break down the opportunities and risks facing emerging-market equity practitioners across the globe. Jamison and Sassower touch on performance dispersion, market catalysts and idiosyncratic opportunities across a broad range of EM countries, from Greece and Poland to Nigeria and Vietnam. The EM Lens podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

"If you've got [a company] that just doesn't have a logical strategic long-term owner or the industry's consolidated in a way that nobody can regulatorily do it, you're buying into a problem...And so we try to be very thoughtful about that coming in. And sometimes that means you can't do a deal. Sometimes that means you have to do it even cheaper to account for a discount on the backend too."David Geenberg, Head of Strategic Value Partners' North American Investment Team, explained to BI's Noel Hebert and Phil Brendel why contemplating exit strategies up front is part of SVP's investment process. Geenberg detailed how SVP's global investment team blends complementing skill sets to help it tackle all facets of its portfolio companies' investment cycle, including sourcing paper, restructuring, litigation, identifying corporate leaders, M&A, and strategic planning (6:25). Prior to that, BI's Noel Hebert and Phil discussed the return of risk appetite in May as tariffs were reeled back. The podcast concludes with BI's Negisa Balluku joining them for a roundtable discussion on Hertz, Serta, Azul, Sunnova, and WeightWatchers (1:12:45).

This week we're talking economics and finances of the world's game with professor, author and podcaster Kieran Maguire of University of Liverpool. (We apologize in advance for those who thought this show was about gridiron football, but with the Club World Cup beginning June 14, we thought it would be interesting to discuss football/soccer finance and some economic implications of the 2026 World Cup in North America.) Maguire joins Macro Matters podcast host Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence's chief US rates strategist, and Business of Sports co-host and EM Lens host Damian Sassower, BI's chief emerging market fixed income strategist. The group discusses football club valuations, the economic benefits (or pitfalls) of hosting the World Cup, and how clubs used debt to finance player transfers and club operations. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit globally recovered to nearly where it was as trade tensions eased, with various trade deals or tariff pauses while rate cuts are priced for central banks, especially the ECB and BOE but not the Fed. The big question is how to play credit after this recovery. In this episode of our Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Global Head of Credit Strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence, and Craig Scordellis, CIO of Credit at CQS UK, discuss how alternative credit and leveraged finance offer opportunities after the spread rally. They discuss tariffs, their effect on global inflation and currencies, central bank policy and outlook, state of credit fundamentals and default views for the next year across Europe and the US.

“I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a capitalist. I love growth, I love to back entrepreneurs,” said Ted Koenig, founder, chairman and CEO of Monroe Capital, on how he sees the firm's expansion to over $20 billion in assets under management from its founding in 2004. Koenig joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert and Sam Geier on this episode of Credit Crunch podcast to discuss the company's founding, attracting capital, identifying partners for growth and the market landscape. The three talk about diversification and CLOs, how big is too big and giving back to the community.

The structural dollar bearish case is holding into 2H, though fiscal considerations are what dollar bears may lean on going forward after  being driven mainly by tariff uncertainty and the impact on the de-dollarization narrative. Bloomberg Intelligence's Chief G10FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman talks to Stuart Paul, US and Canada economist at Bloomberg Economics, about the US debt dynamics and how the fiscal outlook could shape and drive the dollar view into 2H. Stuart and Audrey also touch on the narrow path to a potential dollar recovery via short-term cyclical dynamics should the US economy prove more resilient than expected. This isn't Bloomberg Intelligence's central working assumption, but it's a scenario worth acknowledging.

“I'm just waiting for the T-bill tsunami to come, and it can't come soon enough,” says Sue Hill, senior portfolio manager and head of the Government Liquidity Group at Federated Hermes. Hill joins Macro Matters hosts Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence chief US rates strategist, and Will Hoffman, BI's senior associate US-Canada rates strategist, to discuss the state of the money-market complex amid debt-ceiling-induced supply scarcity. The trio examine the limits and nuances of alternative liquidity-management wrappers, where individual needs and mandates dominate asset compositions. They discuss the debt ceiling, and how her team manages allocation decisions around low but non-zero default risks, as well as unattractive yields relative to alternatives. Also addressed was how the Federal Reserve's RRP facility may have a permanent home as part of the money fund ecosystem, and the industry's slow but steady push toward central clearing as the mid-2027 deadline inches closer.

Commercial real estate lending remains highly sensitive to US interest rates, yet it also offers a much wider complexity premium than competing fixed income asset classes, with potential for outsized investor returns. Robin Potts, chief investment officer of Real Estate at Canyon Partners, joins BI chief fixed income strategist Damian Sassower to discuss her firm's approach to risk management, recovery mechanisms, loan origination and product evolution. Potts and Sassower discuss financing structures, liquidity trends, operating expenses and the broader landscape for institutional capital.

Market uncertainty can create its own opportunity, and when it comes to investing, “rules are meant to be broken in terms of finding attractive situations.” That's according to Jeffrey Kivitz, chief investment officer for Canyon Capital Advisors, who joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert and Sam Geier on this episode of Credit Crunch to discuss the firm's approach to distressed and opportunistic credit. We talk about pricing risk amid uncertainty, solving for borrower needs, why the ingredients may be in place to see and more traditional, elongated credit cycle, and much more.  The Credit Crunch podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Municipal bonds scored a win in President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” passed by the House earlier this week. They didn't lose tax-exempt status, though the bill now moves to the Senate, where it can be changed and sent back to the House for another vote. BI analysts Eric Kazatsky and Karen Altamirano are joined by BI tax analyst Andrew Silverman and BI policy analyst Nathan Dean to discuss the legislation. The team discusses the legislation's impact on the tax-exempt municipal market, federal spending and the bond market's signaling of displeasure with deficits. 

“I think ultimately the bond market is the disciplinarian for fiscal policymakers” says Mike Medeiros, macro strategist at Wellington Management. Medeiros joins Macro Matters hosts Ira Jersey, Bloomberg Intelligence chief US rates strategist, and Will Hoffman, BI's senior associate US-Canada rates strategist, to discuss all things US and Canadian rates. The trio has one foot on each side of the border on this episode, unpacking the recent bond-market moves and their drivers. They cover the developing state of fiscal budgets and potential stimulative impacts on these economies, as well where monetary policy and yield curves may be headed as price-sensitive investors demand additional premium for long-dated sovereign debt. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

“The cat-and-mouse game will continue,” says Scott Greenberg, the global chair of Gibson Dunn's Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group, referring to sponsors using “sneaky” nondisclosure agreements and anti-cooperation provisions to combat lender coordination in “three-dimensional” liability management. In a conversation with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Negisa Balluku at Beard Group's Distressed Investing Media Night, Greenberg discussed his extensive involvement in the evolution of cooperation agreements, the flexibility of larger lenders with “more skin in the game,” and drawbacks of organizing too early. He also delved into the impact of reputational risk in the enforceability of co-ops, cultural differences that influence lender dynamics in European and US markets and his definition of “success” in liability management. The conversation took place on May 6. The State of Distressed Debt podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.

Credit recovered from the tariff rout with trade war easing with many deals across US, China and UK while the new government takes shape in Germany and rate cuts priced for central banks - especially the ECB and BOE - adding momentum. The big question is whether this strength will continue? In this episode of our Credit Crunch podcast, Mahesh Bhimalingam, Global Head of Credit Strategy at Bloomberg Intelligence, and Amir Fergani, Head of Credit LDI at Generali Asset Management, discuss tariffs, fiscal policies German and French politics and their effect on inflation, growth and central bank policy, the dollar weakness and its impact on global credit and the challenges of taking a directional view after big rates moves.

Carronade Capital Management Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer Dan Gropper expects the US to be in for a “rough ride.” “If I were today sitting on the board of a major corporation, I'm not sure I'd build my new factory or start a new division or open 14 new restaurants. You'd want to know what's going to happen with the economy. And so even the uncertainty without the second- and third-order effects that can and will occur from tariffs, even before that happens, I think you're already seeing people starting to pull back,” said Gropper, when he joined Bloomberg Intelligence's Phil Brendel at the Beard Group's Distressed Investment Media Night on May 6. He detailed his firm's investment approach, which is rooted in deep distressed investing experience and a collaborative DNA (6:35). Prior to that, BI's Noel Hebert and Brendel discussed the sharp widening of spreads in the energy sector and credit's gloomy outlook. The podcast concludes with BI's Negisa Balluku joining them for a roundtable discussion on Serta, Hertz, GOL, Incora, Ardagh, CommScope, WW International and Rite Aid (28:20).

Andy Constan, chief investment officer of Damped Spring Advisors, said a combination of potential expenditure cuts, which he estimates at around $300 billion per year, represents the largest fiscal tightening of his lifetime. Constan joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Ira Jersey, chief US strategist, and Will Hoffman, US/CAD senior rates strategy associate, on this episode of Macro Matters to discuss all things interest rates. They talk about some of the biggest bond market myths as well as the path forward for the Fed's balance sheet as quantitative tightening downshifted into low gear. The trio also discuss the likelihood for shifts in Treasury issuance as well as where monetary policy and bond yields may be headed. The Macro Matters podcast is part of BI's FICC Focus series.