6 Comments
 

Yes. BB S&T will house what you’re referring to, typically as Distressed Trading desks, with a research driven angle when they take on risk.

Desks have varying risk tolerances/strategies. Most well known are DB, Citi, and Barclays. JPM BOFA CS MS and UBS operate under a slightly different mandate and GS has a mostly flow driven strategy. Then there’s Jefferies, RBC, and a handful of others.

 

what's the difference between a distressed debt S&T group at a bank vs a distressed fund (e.g. Oaktree). In terms of what they do I mean.

Could you also explain what you mean by a "flow driven" strategy? thank you.

 

In terms of “work” they do, no real difference, but you can imagine that the opportunity set for Oaktree ($130bn+ AUM) given its different funds, sleeves, etc. allows for larger check sizes and broader mandates. A BB S&T distressed desk will really almost never “buy a company” or write a huge check alone. Funds have greater flexibility in a) actually raising capital, and b) deploying it. Not to say that desks won’t partner up with them in esoteric situations... and the GS desk is run by a former HY trader. HY (more flow driven/liquid vs. distressed) + past performance of that desk leads it to be a more flow driven strategy (trading risk through, as a true market maker).

 

I think you're asking about principal investing, which is different than distressed debt trading on a S&T desk. Principal investing teams at most BB banks are generally more conservative in nature, still great opportunities, and still buyside, but getting that sort of molding in a chains-off sort of environment like a special sits credit fund is plainly different due to bank risk-constraints post GFC.

 

Nihil voluptate velit adipisci omnis numquam quo. Nam amet vitae molestiae temporibus praesentium sunt. Ut et est non eveniet.

Amet quam ea corrupti voluptates illum recusandae. Quis quo officia laborum sapiente pariatur ipsa. Nostrum libero harum dolores. Rem tempora voluptatibus harum explicabo sunt. Aperiam et quia neque unde. Quae ratione necessitatibus et unde repudiandae eos sequi et.

Sed ea eos blanditiis qui. Cupiditate ad deleniti nostrum alias. Et quae et tempore. Nihil ipsum voluptate earum maxime facere quia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”