Blue Owl Money Machine Sputters in Face of Private Credit Cracks

Blue Owl Capital Inc.’s Craig Packer has been something of a mainstay on the New York Stock Exchange in recent years, ringing the opening bell multiple times to toast the private credit giant’s public funds.

On Wednesday, minutes after the market opened, his mood was anything but celebratory.

Blue Owl had just announced it was scrapping a planned merger of two of its private credit funds, backtracking on a plan revealed Nov. 5 after scrutiny arose over the potential losses some investors would have to swallow as part of the deal. The parent company’s shares had fallen this week ...