Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on the stories moving money and markets.
Business development companies are finding their footing in the debt markets again. Barings Private Credit priced three hundred fifty million dollars in investment-grade bonds, signaling that the frozen quarter for BDC issuance may be thawing. It's a constructive sign for private credit broadly, though fresh leverage in the sector always warrants a watchful eye on credit quality.
Shifting to the AI infrastructure buildout, Georgia Power's contract to serve OpenAI's new facility in Effingham County has cleared the Georgia Public Service Commission. That's a meaningful regulatory green light for Southern Company, confirming that utility-scale power demand tied to artificial intelligence is moving from projection to permitted reality, with rate base implications for shareholders worth tracking closely.
And Asian markets are trading mostly higher this morning despite a soft Wall Street session overnight. The catalyst is optimism around the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and Oman confirmed a temporary agreement allowing the waterway to remain open. That eases near-term pressure on oil supply routes and gives risk assets in the region room to breathe heading into the back half of the week.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
