US PPI, a measure of inflation at the producer level, rose to 6% year on year in April, the highest since December 2022 and well above market expectations. Energy price inflation also rose sharply since March. The data suggest that the war in the Middle East is beginning to feed into the real economy through higher input costs for companies, raising the risk that these costs may be passed on to consumers.
The maturity wall facing U.S. high yield bond issuers is sizeable. But given the market’s composition today, the wall appears less daunting for issuers—and, for investors, it’s helping shape potentially compelling opportunities.