JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has cautioned that losses in private credit may be larger than anticipated, even as he downplayed the risk of a systemic crisis in the $1.8tn sector, according to a report by The Times.
Dimon highlighted that lending standards across the private credit market have “modestly weakened” as funds sought higher returns, with looser loan covenants and increasing use of interest deferrals.
He noted that some private credit funds have been overly optimistic about borrower performance, citing recent collapses of leveraged companies like Tricolour and First Brands Group. Redemptions from retail investors have intensified, prompting funds such as Barings, Apollo, Blue Owl, Ares, and BlackRock to cap withdrawals, sometimes at 5% of shares.
Dimon also acknowledged the transformative potential of AI, describing investments in the technology as productivity-enhancing rather than speculative, though he said it remains too early to determine the long-term winners in AI-driven industries.
