Credit Check: Lessons, Losses and Hot Takes

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Season 9, Episode 23

This week on “Know More. Risk Better.” features host Winnie Cisar, global head of strategy at CreditSights, and Zachary Griffiths, Head of IG & Macro Strategy, as they reflect on a turbulent 2025 in US credit markets and preview the landscape for 2026. The conversation dives into defining moments of the year, lessons learned, and the persistent impact of technicals and liquidity on market resilience.

Winnie and Zach tackle the complexities of forecasting interest rates, the impact of monetary policy surprises, and the effects of tariffs and trade policy on investment grade corporates, while debating new issue supply, the dynamics between high yield and broadly syndicated loans, and looming refinancing risks. Additional highlights include a candid lightning round on private credit, covenant quality, and AI CapEx, as well as a discussion on the importance of risk assessment and the paradigm shift in market behavior post-pandemic. This episode offers key insights for navigating a complex, late-cycle credit environment heading into 2026.