Abstract: This paper examines the pricing of global syndicated loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that loan spreads rise by over 11 basis points in response to a one standard deviation increase in the lender’s exposure to COVID-19 and over 5 basis points for an equivalent increase in the borrower’s exposure. This implies excess interest of about USD 5.16 million and USD 2.37 million respectively for a loan of average size and duration. The aggravating effect of the pandemic is exacerbated with the level of government restrictions to tackle t...
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Topics: 
Monetary economics
Financial system
Finance