Sponsors, spreads and stress testing: Navigating 2026’s rate reset

In volatile markets, trade-offs sharpen: pay for certainty now, or preserve flexibility for later. In this episode of Making Sense, Ben Berkey from the corporate derivatives franchise talks with Brian Tramontozzi, head of North American Leveraged Finance Capital Markets, and Kim Hernas, global head of Sponsor Private Side Sales, to discuss how leveraged finance and private markets are weighing these trade-offs in a higher-for-longer rate environment. They discuss how higher base yields are affecting leveraged loan and high-yield markets, and what spread behavior across rating tiers may be signaling. They also explore the evolving sponsor toolkit — back leverage and beyond — and how sponsors are reassessing holding periods, liquidity needs and risk management.

This episode was recorded on October 13, 2026.

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