European bond investors face threats to restricted payment builder baskets but are better protected against being J.Screwed. Insights from 9fin's report on high yield bond covenants are discussed. Topics include EBITDA addbacks, J. Crew blockers, portability, and refinancing trends.
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Quick takeaways
Refinancing trend dominates bond deals; poses potential stagnation in covenant evolution.
Builder basket provisions showcase increased flexibility, zero floor benefits in recent bond deals.
Deep dives
Refinancing Dominance in 2023 Bond Deals
Refinancing emerged as a prominent theme in the analysis of 2023 bond deals, constituting about three quarters of the observed deals. This trend often leads to a starting point for new bond deals based on previous ones, potentially resulting in less movement or evolution. The duration between refinancing deals varied for different issuers, impacting the introduction of new elements into the market.
Builder Basket Flexibility and Conditions Shift
Notable movement was detected in the builder basket provision, which rewards companies for strong performance. Around two thirds of the 2023 deals featured a zero floor, ensuring immediate benefits even in initial years without positive earnings. Sponsor deals showed inclinations towards increased flexibility in the provision, with conditions around dividend payouts becoming more company-friendly, including allowances during default scenarios.
Impacts of EBITDA Addbacks on Bondholders
An analysis of EBITDA addbacks revealed concerns favoring bondholders. The trend towards adjusted EBITDA incorporating future savings and revenue led to the imposition of caps on such calculations in about half of the deals. Additionally, time limits were introduced in approximately three quarters of the deals to constrain the timing and extent of expected future benefits, presenting a balancing act for bondholders.
European bond investors: your restricted payment builder baskets are under threat! But also, you’re probably better protected against being J.Screwed than you were in the past.
Those are just two insights from 9fin’s European High Yield Bonds Covenants Report, which provides a deep dive on the state of high yield bond covenants, based on documentation from last year.
In this week’s episode of Cloud 9fin, our host Jennifer Munnings digs into the report’s findings with our senior legal consultant Chris Osborne, who co-authored the report with Alice Holian.
They also discuss our recent piece about EG Group’s recent dividend blockers, which you can read here.
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