23 May 2023 1 min read

Highly rated private credit – unsung heroes?

By Lushan Sun , Stuart Hitchcock PhD MBA

As the dust begins to settle following a turbulent 2022 and the recent banking crisis, we reflect on the varying dynamics of private credit markets, their differentiation and their role in investor portfolios.

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Private credit is not a homogeneous asset class. Investors should not confuse highly rated assets with deeper sub-investment grade assets such as direct lending which are significantly riskier.

Over recent months yields for highly rated assets have become much more attractive, in our view, and are offering a meaningful premium over public equivalents.

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Lushan Sun

Private Credit Research Manager

Lushan joined LGIM in 2021 and is responsible for private credit research within our Real Assets division. Prior to LGIM, Lushan was a senior consultant at Mercer, providing advice to UK DB pension schemes on asset allocation, portfolio construction and manager selection. Lushan has a MSci from Imperial College in Chemistry and is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Outside work she spends most of her time pursuing her passion for food, exercise and the latest foreign dramas on Netflix.

Lushan Sun

Stuart Hitchcock PhD MBA

Head of Private Credit Portfolio Management

Stuart manages the portfolio management business within Private Credit on a global basis. He is responsible for guiding portfolio construction and providing senior independent judgement on the writing of all new private financings across corporate, alternative, infrastructure and real estate asset classes. Over his near 22 years in the private markets, he has been engaged in approx. $45bn of financing. Obsessed with the investment mantra 'Credit, Structure, Pricing' (“in that order”, he emphasises), Stuart has a PhD and BA (first) from the University of Southampton, MBA from Judge Business School (Cambridge, dist.), MSt from the University of Oxford and an FCT (Association of Corporate Treasurers). When not walking his beloved golden retriever or indulging a passion for horror movies, he can generally be found engaged in academic pursuits.

Stuart Hitchcock PhD MBA