Using newly available data on hedge fund leverage that specifies the type of leverage employed (e.g. gross or net), we examine the potential for a credit spiral and financial fragility in hedge funds. We find that funds belonging to fund families that are highly levered, have multiple prime...

We examine changes in debt structure when firms experience financial distress. At these points in time, firms refinance and undergo substantial changes in priority structure. Specifically, we find that firms di- versify their priority structure relative to its pre-distress composition. We show,...

We examine how firms hedge in financial distress. Using hand-collected data from oil and gas producers, we find that derivative portfolios in these firms are characterized by short put options. These positions are part of a composite three-way collar strategy that combines buying put options and...