Banks in ‘race to the bottom’ on margins amid tepid loan demand
- Borrowers switched en masse from term loans to revolving credit facilities, maintaining borrowing capacity while lowering interest costs
- Sinking interest margins are not compensating shipping banks for cyclicality risk; untapped revolvers incur capital costs while not providing interest income
- US Supreme Court ruling on reciprocal tariffs could be major risk-on, risk-off event, which could spur more borrowing in either case, a positive for shipping banks
Shipowners have more than enough firepower to make new investments given ample cash and borrowing capacity under revolving credit facilities. What shipping banks need is for borrowers to have a catalyst to pull the trigger on their revolvers and make those investments
