How are geopolitics and AI trends impacting leveraged finance?

In this Making Sense episode, host Amaury Guzman is joined by Kevin Foley, global head of Capital Markets, and Tarek Hamid, head of North American Credit Research & Strategy, to unpack takeaways from J.P. Morgan’s 31st annual Global Leveraged Finance Conference in Miami. The trio covers how geopolitics and energy price volatility are filtering into rates and risk, why AI could determine winners and losers, the market’s capacity to absorb new supply, bond vs. loan reception, and the role of M&A in the 2026 issuance outlook. They also discuss issuer readiness in a volatile tape and other themes that could take centerstage at the upcoming European Leveraged Finance Conference. This episode was recorded on March 5, 2026. This material was prepared by certain personnel of the investment banking group of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates and subsidiaries worldwide and not the firm’s research department. It is for informational purposes only, is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase, sale or tender of any financial instrument and does not constitute a commitment, undertaking, offer or solicitation by any JPMorgan Chase entity to extend or arrange credit or provide any other products or services to any person or entity. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Company. All rights reserved.