![Private credit 2024 investment outlook](/content/dam/invesco/emea/en/insights/floating%20rate%20features.jpg)
Yields maintain record highs and offer positive relative value
Invesco’s bank loans, direct lending and distressed credit teams to share their views as the second quarter of 2024 wraps up.
Many of the most commonly used fixed income investments, such as high-quality government bonds, generate negative or low real returns in today’s high inflation environment. Consequently, these investments pose a significant duration risk to portfolios.
Despite inflation expectations being anchored, inflation remains high, and the US Federal Reserve has signalled a hawkish stance to keep rates higher for longer.
We believe the current uncertain market environment calls for fundamental changes in asset allocation in order to meet long-term real return targets.
We favour a fixed income allocation that:
We believe that senior secured loans have several features that can help meet the needs of investors:
This paper looks to provide a detailed introduction to the asset class and takes a deep dive into some of the features listed above.
In this educational whitepaper, we:
Senior secured loans are privately arranged loans issued to a consortium of banks and institutional creditors. They provide companies with access to debt capital. Senior secured loans traditionally offer a fixed spread over a reference rate, making them ‘floating rate’ instruments.
These terms are typically used interchangeably to refer to the asset class. The ‘senior’ or ‘senior-secured’ label refers to the fact that the asset class sits at the top of the borrower’s capital structure.
Senior secured loans sit at the top of a company’s capital structure. This means that investors are effectively ranked first for any repayment in the event of a default by the issuer.
Senior secured loans sit at the top of the capital structure, above high yield bonds. While senior loans are backed by the assets of the borrower, high yield bonds are typically unsecured.
Furthermore, senior loans are floating rate instruments, while high yield bonds are issued with a fixed coupon.
Want to learn more about how you can access our senior loans expertise? Click below to be redirected to your local Invesco website, where we provide further information.
Yields maintain record highs and offer positive relative value
Invesco’s bank loans, direct lending and distressed credit teams to share their views as the second quarter of 2024 wraps up.
Alternative opportunities: What’s the outlook for private credit, private equity and real assets?
In each new edition, we look at the outlook for private market assets. In particular, we focus on private credit, private equity, real estate, infrastructure and commodities.
Private credit: A case for senior loans
The uncertain US macroeconomic backdrop with inflation pressures, interest rate hikes, and a potential recession was a significant focus throughout 2023. Despite these challenges, we see three compelling reasons to consider investing in senior secured loans now.
1 Source: Invesco as of 31 August 2023.
The value of investments and any income will fluctuate (this may partly be the result of exchange rate fluctuations) and investors may not get back the full amount invested.
Alternative investment products may involve a higher degree of risk, may engage in leveraging and other speculative investment practices that may increase the risk of investment loss, can be highly illiquid, may not be required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors, may involve complex tax structures and delays in distributing important tax information, are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual portfolios, often charge higher fees which may offset any trading profits, and in many cases the underlying investments are not transparent and are known only to the investment manager.
Information is provided as at 30 September 2023, sourced from Invesco unless otherwise stated.
This is marketing material and not financial advice. It is not intended as a recommendation to buy or sell any particular asset class, security or strategy. Regulatory requirements that require impartiality of investment/investment strategy recommendations are therefore not applicable nor are any prohibitions to trade before publication. Views and opinions are based on current market conditions and are subject to change.