Extra Credit
Loomis Sayles’ Q1 outlook highlights rising geopolitical risk from the U.S.–Israel‑Iran conflict, which lifted energy prices and pushed the 10‑year Treasury yield from 4.17% to 4.32%. Despite these headwinds, corporate fundamentals remain solid, and earnings growth is seen as the primary support for equity and credit markets. The firm projects the U.S. economy in an “expansion‑to‑late‑cycle” phase through 2026, with below‑trend growth but no recession, while fiscal deficits and sticky inflation constrain Federal Reserve policy. Credit spreads widened modestly, creating selective value opportunities across investment‑grade, high‑yield, and non‑U.S. dollar debt.
Strait of Hormuz Disruption and the Long Tail of Higher Oil Prices
The war in Iran has triggered the most severe physical disruption to global energy since the 1970s, according to IEA chief Fatih Birol. Damage to Middle‑East infrastructure and a choke‑point in the Strait of Hormuz have halted oil flows and filled...
Global GDP Themes and Forecasts
An outbreak of war in the Middle East is generating an energy‑driven inflation shock that threatens to delay disinflation and keep interest rates higher worldwide. The United States, as a major oil producer, is relatively insulated, though the Federal Reserve...
Finding Opportunity in Today’s Euro Credit Markets
Loomis Sayles portfolio manager Luuk Cummins highlights fresh opportunities in the Euro credit market, focusing on high‑growth "rising‑star" issuers and select non‑rated companies. He notes that tighter spreads and a shifting ECB rate outlook are creating pockets of attractive yield. The...
Extra Credit: Nothing Artificial About Our AI Investment Process
Loomis Sayles’ Full Discretion team outlines a disciplined credit‑centric process for navigating the AI boom, projecting roughly $2.5 trillion of AI‑related capital spending over the next three years, half of which will be debt‑financed. The team splits its analysis into two...
Why Active Managers Are Mimicking the Flaw of Passive Benchmarks
Active managers are increasingly mirroring the momentum‑driven, price‑weighted flaws of passive benchmarks, especially in the U.S. large‑cap space dominated by the Magnificent Seven. Aziz Hamzaogullari argues that the issue lies not in active management itself but in its execution, which...
Credit Market Risks: What the Euro Credit Team Is Watching Now
Rik den Hartog, Co‑Head of Euro Credit at Loomis Sayles, outlined the team’s current focus on three credit market stressors: tightening supply dynamics, rising M&A‑driven leverage, and heightened rate volatility. He noted that constrained issuance is compressing liquidity, while deal‑making...
It’s Not Just What We Own – It’s How We’ve Owned It.
Loomis Sayles emphasizes that true long‑term investing isn’t about dodging market swings but about holding high‑quality companies through them. The Growth Equity Strategies Team outlines a disciplined, differentiated approach to owning great businesses, with performance data current through December 31 2025. The...
Loomis Sayles Core Plus Full Discretion: A Differentiated Approach
Loomis Sayles introduced its Core Plus Full Discretion strategy as a response to the 2022 yield reset that ended a long low‑rate era. The approach diverges from traditional domestic core fixed‑income by employing active, discretionary management to capture income and total‑return opportunities....
Navigating Euro Credit: Fundamentals, Valuations & Technicals
Pim van Mourik Broekman outlines the Euro credit market’s current landscape, highlighting overweight financials and utilities versus underweight industrials. He warns that geopolitical tensions and divergent central‑bank policies—particularly the ECB’s dovish stance against the Fed’s tightening—could steepen the yield curve. Valuations...
Repeatable by Design: Meet the Full Discretion Team
Loomis Sayles introduced its Full Discretion team, highlighting a credit‑cycle lens, bottom‑up security analysis, and a disciplined, repeatable investment process. The team operates with full discretion to adjust allocations swiftly as market conditions evolve. The communication emphasizes that the methodology is...
Unlocking Value in Private Credit: Inside Loomis Sayles’ Integrated Approach
Loomis Sayles sees the expanding private‑credit market as a source of higher yields and structural protections for fixed‑income investors. To exploit this, the firm created a dedicated Private Credit Team that works alongside its public‑markets portfolio managers, credit researchers, and legal...
2026 Global Bond Credit Outlook: Q&A
European investment‑grade credit remains resilient in early 2026 despite a 2% YoY dip in EBITDA growth and modest leverage creep. Interest‑coverage ratios have stabilised and rating upgrades in Spain and Italy bolster the sector’s outlook. Spreads have tightened to historic...
Corporate Health Outlook: Improvement Broadens as Expectations Rise
Loomis Sayles’ Credit Analyst Diffusion Indices (CANDIs) survey shows analyst optimism at its highest in several quarters, driven by stronger profit margins and declining leverage across most industries. Margin expectations rose sharply for both services and manufacturing, while leverage fell to...
Convergence: Navigating the Blurred Lines Between Public and Private Credit
In a recent InsuranceAUM interview, Chris Gudmastad, Head of Private Credit, discusses the growing convergence between public and private credit markets. He highlights how blended financing structures are blurring traditional asset class boundaries and reshaping investment opportunities. The conversation underscores...