1987 - Year of the shrinking market?
Leo Halloran, the chief financial officer of GECC, told Euromoney he did not foresee any changes in the company's borrowing levels or strategy in 1987. "Basically, my view is that interest rates are likely to remain at the same level as they are for the balance of the year. For us that means there is no need to be anticipatory in our funding. We'll remain in a position to take advantage of market windows in the US and in Europe.'
He added: "Of course, if interest rates go up, we'll borrow heavily--if it's more than a temporary blip.'
GECC, the credit arm of General Electric, is behaving more and more like a bank. It was a major lender for the giant leveraged buyout of Macy's, the retailer. Is it likely to do more such deals? Analysts foresee a booming worldwide M&A market next year. Halloran, however, said that GECC's LBO funding is likely to remain domestic.
Always wary of foreign exchange risk, GECC did not issue its first foreign currency bond until 1985--a $75 million Swiss franc issue. In the last 18 months, the company has issued about $1 billion in debt abroad, mostly through Eurobonds.