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Distressed Exchanges Becoming The Bankruptcy Of Choice For Companies

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Rupert Hargreaves
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According to Moody's a distressed exchange occurs when a distressed company offers "creditors new or restructured debt, or a new package of securities, cash or assets, that amounts to a diminished financial obligation relative to the original obligation."

Since the financial crisis, the number of these distressed exchanges has ballooned as companies try to work around a traditional bankruptcy. Deals peaked in 2015, when many oil & gas companies, reeling from crashing oil prices, found themselves struggling to keep the lights on.

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As Bloomberg reported at the end of 2015, distressed-exchange transactions accounted for 44% of US non-financial defaults during 2015, a similar proportion as in the direct aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

Distressed Exchanges Becoming ...

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Sign up now and get our in-depth FREE e-books on famous investors like Klarman, Dalio, Schloss, Munger Rupert is a committed value investor and regularly writes and invests following the principles set out by Benjamin Graham. He is the editor and co-owner of Hidden Value Stocks, a quarterly investment newsletter aimed at institutional investors. Rupert owns shares in Berkshire Hathaway. Rupert holds qualifications from the Chartered Institute For Securities & Investment and the CFA Society of the UK. Rupert covers everything value investing for Hedge Fund Alpha