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  • HY Spread Disconnected From Fundamentals

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Fed hikes had an immediate negative effect on the manufacturing sector because the goods sector is more sensitive to interest rates.

    With interest rates remaining high and consumers running out of excess savings, the next shoe to drop in 2023H2 is the service sector.

    The divergence between manufacturing and services is likely why high yield spreads have not yet widened the way they usually do, see chart below.

    The high yield spread seems disconnected from economic fundamentals
    Source: ISM, ICE BofA, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Outlook for Credit

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Since the Fed started raising rates, credit fundamentals have continued to deteriorate. The higher cost of capital is putting significant downward pressure on interest coverage ratios across IG, HY, and loans. Cash flow coverage is declining, and leverage is rising, see charts below.

    The pressure on corporate balance sheets is the direct result of the Fed keeping the costs of capital at high levels, and with rates staying high for a couple of years, the ongoing deterioration in credit fundamentals will continue to have a negative impact on employment growth and capex spending, and ultimately GDP.

    Our credit market outlook is available here.

    IG ICR coming down quickly
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    HY ICR coming down quickly
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Credit metrics for leveraged loan deals: ICR and cash flow down. Leverage up.
    Source: Pitchbook LCD, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • $9 Trillion in Corporate Bonds Outstanding

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The total market cap of US corporate bond markets is now at $9 trillion. BBB market cap is currently at $3.7 trillion, and single-A is at $3.4 trillion, see chart below.

    Total market cap of US corporate bond markets: $9 trillion
    Source: ICE BofA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • IG and HY Weights in US and EU

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Financials have a weight of almost 50% in the European IG index and 33% in the US IG index, see chart below. For the high yield index, financials also have a higher weight in Europe than in the US. For the US, the sectors with the biggest weight in the HY index are consumer discretionary, communications, and energy.

    Comparing the US IG index with the EU IG index
    Source: Bloomberg Barclays, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Comparing the US HY index with the EU HY index
    Source: Bloomberg Barclays, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • IG Trading Below Par

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Ninety-one percent of US investment grade bonds are trading below par, see chart below.

    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Data used for members in the LBUSTRUU Index.

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  • Duration Declining for Credit

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Modified duration measures the expected change in a bond’s price to a 1% change in interest rates. The charts below show that since the Fed started raising rates, index duration has declined both for high yield and investment grade, with high yield duration currently standing at 4% and investment grade duration at 7.5%.

    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: The measure used is modified duration, which measures the expected change in a bond’s price to a 1% change in interest rates.
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: The measure used is modified duration, which measures the expected change in a bond’s price to a 1% change in interest rates.

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  • The Share of High Yield Trading Above 10%

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Twenty percent of the high yield index trades with yields higher than 10%, see chart below.

    20% of the bonds in the high yield index have yields above 10%
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: HY bond universe is H0A0 Index.

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  • 40% Of Russell 2000 Have Negative Earnings

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The high and rising share of small-cap companies with negative earnings makes middle-market companies more vulnerable as the Fed keeps interest rates higher for longer, see chart below.

    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Goods Weak, Services Strong

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Imports are falling, and this normally only happens when the economy is in a recession, see chart below.

    The weakness in the goods sector is offset by continued strength in the less interest rate-sensitive service sector, which makes up 80% of GDP.

    Imports are falling fast
    Source: BEA, FRED, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • $100 Billion Drag on Consumer Spending Coming

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    There are a total of 45 million people with student loans, and the average monthly student loan payment is around $200. So resuming student loan payments in October will subtract roughly $9 billion from consumer spending every month, or roughly $100 billion a year, and this will mainly have an impact on younger households, see chart below.

    Source: FRBNY, Apollo Chief Economist

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