What is the expected timeline for the issuance of the new senior subordinated secured notes and equity, and how might that timeline affect shortâterm trading strategies?
Expected timeline
LivePersonâs deâleveraging deal is structured as a âexchangeâandâissuanceâ transaction. The press release notes that the company will receive $45âŻmillion in cash and will issue $115âŻmillion of new 2029 Senior Subordinated Secured Notes together with a tranche of commonâ and preferredâequity. In comparable capitalâstructure swaps, the issuance of the new securities and the equityâclosing typically occurs withinâŻ30â45âŻdays after the exchange agreement is signed, with the final closing slated for the end of the current calendar year.âŻThus, traders should expect the 2029 notes and the equity to be priced and delivered by lateâŻQ4âŻ2025 (approximatelyâŻOctoberâDecemberâŻ2025).
Shortâterm trading implications
Equity volatility around the issuance date â The conversion of $341âŻmillion of 2026 convertible notes into cash and new equity will improve LivePersonâs balance sheet, removing a sizable liability. Anticipation of a cleaner capital structure often fuels a shortâterm rally in the stock, but the simultaneous dilution from the equity tranche can cap upside. Expect the price to trade in a relatively tight range until the issuance window opens, then a 10â15âŻ% bounce is plausible if the market perceives the deâleveraging as a creditâenhancing move. Positionally, a lightâtoâmedium long on the stock a week before the expected issuance (e.g., earlyâmidâŻNovember) can capture the upside, with a stop just below the recent low to protect against a sellâoff if the equity component is viewed as overly dilutive.
Creditâspread play on the 2029 senior notes â The new 2029 subordinated secured notes will be priced at a spread to the U.S. Treasury curve that reflects their subordinated, but secured, nature. In the weeks leading up to issuance, the spread will likely compress as investors price in the higher credit quality of a secured claim, then may widen briefly on the first day of trading if market participants reassess the subordination risk. A shortâterm relativeâvalue tradeâbuying the notes on the secondary market at a tighter spread and selling a few days after issuance if the spread expandsâcan generate a modest carry. Alternatively, a spreadâsell (shorting the notes via futures or creditâdefault swaps) can be profitable if the spread widens beyond the issuance level.
Liquidity and orderâflow considerations â Because the transaction size is modest ($115âŻmillion of notes, $45âŻmillion of cash), the market impact will be limited, but the announcementâdriven trading volume can be significant. Anticipate higher-thanâaverage daily volume and tighter bidâask spreads in the equity and note markets during the issuance window. Swingâtraders should monitor the orderâflow imbalance on the NASDAQ and the overâtheâcounter note market; a persistent buying pressure in the equity after the issuance announcement can be a cue to add to long positions, while a sharp sellâoff in the notes may signal a shortâcovering opportunity for noteâshorts.
In short, the lateâ2025 issuance window creates a defined event horizon. A longâbiased equity play on the bounceâback after the deâleveraging, paired with a creditâspread trade on the 2029 senior notes, offers the most direct way to capture the shortâterm alpha that this capitalâstructure swap is likely to generate. Keep risk limits tightâstopâlosses at 5â7âŻ% for the equity and a 10âbp spreadâmove for the notesâto manage the inherent eventârisk.