Fixed + Floating - The Credit Podcast

Josef Pschorn
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Fixed + Floating is a credit podcast for investors and finance professionals. Hosted by credit portfolio manager Josef Pschorn, the show features conversations with leading voices from investing, research, and academia on private credit, high yield, distressed debt and credit cycles. We break down the technical mechanics of credit markets — from covenant evolution and liability management to restructuring, quantitative credit, and the impact of macro policy. New episodes twice per month.

  1. APR 21

    Liability Management in Software Credit: Covenant Erosion, Drop-Downs & the Xerox JV Maneuver | Sabrina Fox (Fox Legal Training)

    Covenant quality is weakening at a measurable rate, and software credits are where it is going to matter most. Full analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/why-software-credits-are-lme-catnip?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Josef Pschorn speaks with Sabrina Fox of Fox Legal Training about the systematic erosion of lender protections in leveraged finance documentation and why software credits sit at the intersection of weak covenants and uniquely portable assets. Key takeaways: * LBO covenant quality deteriorated from 3.33 in 2023 to 3.53 in Q1 2026, compounding on a base that had been weakening since the early 2010s — 2024 saw a record 34 LME transactions * Software IP can be transferred to unrestricted subsidiaries, valued at board discretion without independent appraisal, and licensed back the same day — making drop-downs a low-friction exercise that standard covenant packages were never designed to prevent * Xerox circumvented its own J.Crew blocker by structuring a joint venture instead of a subsidiary, exploiting the definition of "subsidiary" as >50% voting power — a maneuver ION Platform lenders should be watching closely * Two pending court cases on creditor co-ops could determine whether lenders retain their primary collective defence mechanism against LMEs in 2026 Sabrina Fox: sabrina@foxlegaltraining.com Fox Legal Training: https://foxlegaltraining.com | LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sabrinafox Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. Recorded: 17.04.2026 #CreditAnalysis #FixedIncome #CorporateCredit #LiabilityManagement #SoftwareCredit #CovenantAnalysis #LeveragedFinance #DropDown #JCrewBlocker #IONPlatform #Xerox #DistressedDebt

    51 min

  2. MAR 24

    Private Credit, Life Insurers, and Rating Arbitrage | Jakub Lichwa (TwentyFour AM)

    A three-notch downgrade on a zero-default portfolio can more than double an insurer's capital requirement. Read the full investment breakdown on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/when-annuities-meet-private-credit?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Catch our first deep dive with Jakub on the PE Insurance Flywheel (Episode 3): https://fixedfloating.substack.com/p/private-credits-insurance-flywheel Josef Pschorn speaks with Jakub Lichwa of TwentyFour Asset Management about how PE-backed insurers use annuities to fund private credit exposure, why offshore reinsurance creates regulatory arbitrage, and where these capital structures begin to echo pre-2008 shadow banking patterns. Key Takeaways: Rating downgrades hit capital requirements faster and harder than actual credit defaultsPrivate placements offer an illiquidity premium that structurally matches annuity durationsAsset-intensive reinsurance enables massive capital release through offshore affiliated structuresState guaranty funds provide backstops today that were absent in the shadow banking eraFull analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/the-invisible-tech-moat?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating⁠ | X ⁠https://twitter.com/FixedFloating⁠ Check out Jakub's work at TwentyFour Asset Management Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. Host/guest views are their own. Consult professionals before investing.   #CreditAnalysis #FixedIncome #CorporateCredit #PrivateCredit #Insurance #Annuities #RegulatoryArbitrage #Reinsurance #LifeInsurance #PEInsurance

    56 min

  3. MAR 10

    Software Moats & AI Capex Risk: Why Dominant Firms Stay Dominant | James Bessen (Boston University) #09

    Many dominant firms may be harder to disrupt today than popular narratives suggest. Josef Pschorn speaks with James Bessen of Boston University’s Technology & Policy Research Initiative about how proprietary software creates structural advantages for incumbent issuers, why AI capex may carry more tail risk than many investors assume, and how software complexity can create hidden credit risk. Key takeaways: Proprietary software becomes a true moat when scale, data, and workflow complexity reinforce one anotherAI capex may be more fragile than earlier infrastructure cyclesSoftware complexity can create regulatory and operational risks thattraditional credit analysis may missTechnology spending can act as business-model defense, not just capex Full analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/the-invisible-tech-moat?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web James Bessen:TPRI at BU: https://sites.bu.edu/tpri/X: https://x.com/JamesBessen Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. Recorded: 19.02.2026#CreditAnalysis #FixedIncome #CorporateCredit #TechMoats #HighYield #ArtificialIntelligence #CompetitiveAdvantage #JamesBessen #TechCapex

    51 min

  4. FEB 24

    Software Credit Below 80: Who Survives AI in a $40B Loan Market? | Alec Keblish & Matthew Hughes (9fin) #08

    A growing pool of software loans is trading below 80 as the market reassesses durability, pricing power, and AI disruption risk. Josef Pschorn speaks with Alec Keblish and Matthew Hughes of 9fin about which software credits look fragile, which still have resilience, and how investors should distinguish repricing from real impairment in software credit. Key takeaways: Loans below 80 need a more differentiated framework than simple “cheap or distressed”Software business models will not be affected equally by AIRecurring revenue and switching costs still matter, but not uniformlyInvestors need to separate spread pain from lasting impairment risk Full analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/40b-below-80-a-credit-analysts-framework?r=718tew&utm_medium=ios Transcripts and analysis: https://fixedfloating.substack.com Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. #CreditMarkets #HighYield #PrivateCredit #LeveragedFinance #FixedIncome #SaaS #AIDisruption #SoftwareCredit #LBOs #PrivateEquity #CreditAnalysis #DistressedDebt #9fin #BDC #TechDebt

    1h 29m

  5. FEB 10

    BDC Stress in Private Credit: Redemptions, PIK Risks & Valuation Pressure | John Giordano (Seaport Global) #07

    Private credit’s pressure points are harder to see than its growth story. Josef Pschorn speaks with John Giordano of Seaport Global about BDC redemptions, PIK income, valuation marks, and what current stress signals may be telling investors about the broader private-credit market. Key takeaways: BDCs have become a major channel for private-credit riskRedemption pressure may matter more than many investors assumePIK income can obscure underlying borrower weaknessValuation marks deserve more scrutiny in illiquid markets Full analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/bdcs-and-the-private-credit-puzzle?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true  Transcripts and analysis: https://fixedfloating.substack.com Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. #BDCs #PrivateCredit #PIK #BlueOwl #BlackRockBDC #CreditResearch #FixedIncome #SeaportGlobal #FixedFloating

    53 min

  6. JAN 27

    High Yield's Fool's Yield Trap: Why 7.9% Returns Beat 13.9% Yields | Greg Obenshain (Verdad Capital) #06

    In high yield, the highest nominal yield often produces the worst long-term result. Josef Pschorn speaks with Greg Obenshain, Partner at Verdad Capital, about why yield-chasing can damage portfolios and how a more quantitative credit framework can improve underwriting and portfolio construction. Key takeaways: The highest yields often come with the weakest outcomesSpread-chasing is not the same as good credit selectionFactor-based credit frameworks can improve resilienceDuration can behave like a form of known credit leverageFull analysis: ⁠https://fixedfloating.substack.com/p/why-79-returns-beat-139-yields-the⁠ Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. #QuantCredit #HighYield #FixedIncome #BondMarket #FactorInvesting #FoolsYield #CreditInvesting #VerdadCapital #GregObenshain #CreditPodcast #FixedFloating

    1h 6m

  7. JAN 13

    INEOS Credit Deep Dive: Project One, High Yields & Refinancing Risk | Timothy Riminton (Bloomberg Intelligence) #05

    INEOS has become one of the most important issuer-specific credit stories in European chemicals.Ineos Group analysis: ⁠https://fixedfloating.substack.com/p/ineos-group-holdings-all-hinges-onIneos Quattro analysis: https://fixedfloating.substack.com/p/e4-chemicals-overcapacity-crisisJosef Pschorn speaks with Timothy Riminton of Bloomberg Intelligence about Project One, leverage, legal structure, high yields, and the refinancing pressure that matters most for bondholders and credit investors.Key takeaways: Project One is central to the INEOS credit storyLegal structure and entity-level differences matterHigh yields reflect more than just cyclical weaknessRefinancing risk may still be underappreciated Transcripts and analysis: https://fixedfloating.substack.com Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice. #ineos #ChemicalsOvercapacity #HighYield #CreditStress #ProjectOne #fixedfloating #creditpodcast

    54 min

  8. 12/19/2025

    Chemicals Credit Stress: Overcapacity, Energy Shock & Refinancing Risk | Timothy Riminton (Bloomberg Intelligence) #04

    Chemicals credit is facing a difficult mix of overcapacity, weak demand, and refinancing pressure.Full analysis: https://open.substack.com/pub/fixedfloating/p/e4-chemicals-overcapacity-crisis?r=718tew&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueJosef Pschorn speaks with Timothy Riminton of Bloomberg Intelligence about the sector-level credit setup, why European issuers may be especially exposed, and what chemicals may be signaling for broader high-yield and leveraged-credit markets. Key takeaways: Global overcapacity is reshaping chemicals economicsEurope’s cost structure is pressuring margins and competitivenessWeak utilization can quickly erode EBITDA and credit qualityRefinancing pressure may still be underappreciated in spreads Transcripts and analysis: https://fixedfloating.substack.com Connect with Fixed + Floating: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-floating | X https://twitter.com/FixedFloating Disclaimer: Fixed + Floating is for informational purposes only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice.

    1h 7m
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Fixed + Floating is a credit podcast for investors and finance professionals. Hosted by credit portfolio manager Josef Pschorn, the show features conversations with leading voices from investing, research, and academia on private credit, high yield, distressed debt and credit cycles. We break down the technical mechanics of credit markets — from covenant evolution and liability management to restructuring, quantitative credit, and the impact of macro policy. New episodes twice per month.

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