The Echoes of 2007 Are Starting to Become Louder: Credit Weekly
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on Sept. 22.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/BloombergMassive leveraged buyouts. An ever-growing pile of risky debt. Early signs that subprime consumers are falling behind.
It may not be 2007 all over again, but history is at least rhyming here. Then it was TXU Corp.’s $44 billion LBO, now its Electronic Arts Inc.’s potential $50 billion buyout. Then it was subprime mortgage bonds, now it’s private credit, among other kinds of debt. Then subprime consumers were missing mortgage payments, now they’re falling behind on auto loans.