Private credit braces for lower rates and returns

A barometer of private credit performance, the Cliffwater Direct Lending Index, had outperformed high-yield bonds by almost four percentage points on an annualised basis since 2004. — Bloomberg

NEW YORK: The widely expected pivot to lower interest rates by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) next month is creating a conundrum for one of the biggest winners of the high-rate era: private credit.

While easier monetary policy will come as a relief to borrowers with heavy debt loads, it’s also set to sap the returns of an industry that boomed as rates rose.