Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Seth Klarman and Howard Marks on junk bond (and other) prices today

Seth Klarman (via ValueWalk):
"...on almost any metric, the U.S. equity market is historically quite expensive. A skeptic would have to be blind not to see bubbles inflating in junk bond issuance, credit quality, and yields, not to mention the nosebleed stock market valuations of fashionable companies like Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)."

Howard Marks (via Bloomberg):
The head of the world’s largest distressed debt fund is emphasizing the need for making careful choices as loan funds inundated with unprecedented cash enable junk-rated companies to borrow at cheaper rates. 
“When things are rollicking and the market is permitting low-quality issuers to issue debt, that’s when you need a lot of caution,” Howard Marks, the founder and chairman of Oaktree Capital Group LLC, said in a telephone interview. “You have to apply a lot of discernment.”