Ashok Varadhan, Co-head of Global Banking & Markets at Goldman Sachs, delves into US inflation and interest rates, the challenges faced by lower quality issuers due to rising rates, the expansion of private credit and its impact on the US economy, and the progress of inflation in the fourth quarter.
US inflation has dropped from 8% to 3% in the past two years and the market expects interest rates to be lowered to around 3.5% in the long term.
Rising interest rates may pose challenges for lower quality credit-conscious borrowers, while higher quality companies have already refinanced their liabilities at lower yields.
Deep dives
Interest Rates and Inflation
The podcast discusses the normalization of interest rates and the goal of reducing inflation to 2%. Over the past two years, there have been significant rate hikes, resulting in inflation dropping from 8% to around 3%. The market believes that this reduction in inflation is more cyclical than structural, and expects interest rates to eventually be lowered to a long-term rate of around 3.5%.
Corporate Credit Markets and Private Credit
The podcast addresses the impact of rising interest rates on corporate credit markets. Higher rates are not seen as burdensome for higher quality companies, as they have already refinanced their liabilities at lower yields. However, the lower quality credit constituency may face challenges with refinancing due to higher rates and borrowing spreads. Additionally, the podcast highlights the growth of private credit as an alternative supply channel for accessing credit, which is seen as a healthy development.
What will it take for US inflation to normalize? Ashok Varadhan, co-head of Global Banking & Markets at Goldman Sachs, discusses US interest rates, the growth in private credit, and why the final push to a target rate might be a ‘game of inches.’