- Covenant quality tumbled to 4.56 in May from 3.8 the previous month, according to Moody's, which rates on a one-to-five scale, with five being the worst. It was the largest single-month change on record.
- Marty Fridson calls the plunge "a discouraging setback," but notes it could be due to the large amount of higher-rated junk issued in May - those high-yield bonds with stronger ratings tend to have easier covenants than the really junky stuff.
- More from Fridson: "The long-run trend of covenant quality since the 2011 inception of the Moody’s series has been dismayingly negative. That tendency has been abetted by the investment banks, which compete for underwriting mandates partly on the basis of devising new loopholes."
- ETFs: HYG, JNK, HIX, DHY, HYLD, PHT, EAD, HYT, JQC, CIK, DSU, HHY, SJB, NHS, ACP, PHF, MCI, FHY, KIO, ARDC, ANGL, VLT, CIF, AIF, MPV, MHY, PCF, IVH, DHG, HYLS, JSD, UJB, GGM, CJNK, QLTC, HYIH, WFHY