Archives| PDF| Research |Week of Dec 14, 2020
Vote for Churchill
We are pleased to announce that Churchill Asset Management has been selected as finalists for Lender of the Year and Junior Lender of the Year for the 2020 Private Debt Investor Awards. Please take a minute to vote by clicking here (deadline: January 8th).
“I think we’re in for a rough four months.” – Dr. Thomas Russo, head of infectious disease, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Buffalo.
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SPACs – A Primer (Last of a Series)
As we wrap up our special series on SPACs, let’s take a look at the performance of these vehicles over time.

Early last year, as SPACs began their rise in popularity, the WSJ reported of those that IPO’ed in 2015 and 2016, over 50% “were trading below their IPO price.” Performance of SPACs in the 2010-2017 period, the analysis showed, was 3% worse than the overall market, measured annually for the first three years after the IPO.

In the article, a University of Florida finance professor was quoted as saying “I’ve been surprised by the staying power of SPACs, given that they haven’t been producing big returns for investors.”

According to Renaissance Capital, an IPO research specialist, of the 200-plus SPACs launched during the last five years, 107 have completed mergers and gone public...

✒︎ From the Editor: The Lead Left will be on break until January 4th. To all of our readers, best wishes for a safe, healthy and restful holiday season.
COVID-19 and M&A Activity
  • The Post-COVID M&A Sale Process
  • The Post-COVID M&A Financing Process
  • COVID: Industry Winners and Losers
Readers' Say
This Week’s Question
The one word I hope to describe 2021 with is ----.
(*All responses are confidential.)
Promising
Challenging
Unpredictable
Hopeful
Normal
Last Week's Results
What was the most fulfilling element of your work in 2020?
Chart of the Week
SPAC Up the Truck
The value of initial business combinations (IBCs) produced by SPAC IPOs has reached unprecedented levels in 2020.
Source: SPAC Alpha
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Stat of the Week
 Loan Stats at a Glance 
PDI Picks
A New Year’s wish: More of the same
After a tumultuous year, private debt managers are hoping the strategies that have served them well so far will retain LP support...
Leveraged Loan Insight & Analysis
Libor floors remain in institutional market, 
but are lower in 4Q20
As the Libor rate remains at low levels, investors continue to demand Libor floors in the institutional market. The average 3-month Libor rate is at an average of 0.22% so far in 4Q20, this is down from 0.25% in 3Q20 and is roughly 130bp below 1Q20’s average...
The Pulse of Private Equity
Middle market rebound in Q3
PE activity saw a healthy rebound in Q3, which was expected, according to PitchBook’s just-released Q3 Middle Market Report. An estimated $115.6 billion was invested last quarter, a 66% jump over Q2’s disastrous $69.6 billion tally...
Contact: Alex Lykken / PitchBook
High-Yield Bond Statistics
Weekly fund flows source: Lipper
Covenant Trends 
Average Unadjusted Leverage
for M&A-Driven Loan Deals
Private Debt Intelligence
Will Venture Debt go up in 2021?
Venture debt is a type of debt financing provided to venture capital-backed companies by a specialized financier to fund working capital or capital expenses...
Debtwire Middle-Market
LBO deal flow drops sharply in 2020; fewer large transactions hits new money loan supply
Source: Debtwire Par
As we approach the end of 2020, LBO financings have helped boost loan supply this quarter, with syndicated institutional loans backing buyouts climbing to USD 28.7bn, a sharp jump from the USD 8.9bn recorded in 3Q20...
Middle Market Deal Terms at a Glance
Select Deals in the Market
This publication is a service to our clients and friends. It is designed only to give general information on the market developments actually covered. It is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of recent developments or to suggest parameters for any prospective financing opportunity.