Blackstone Deal Could Be Key to Others

Blackstone Group's(BX Quote - Cramer on BX - Stock Picks) purchase of hedge fund GSO Capital Thursday may provide the high-profile leveraged buyout shop run by CEO Stephen Schwarzman with one invaluable benefit in a market still frozen by credit fears: financing.

With banks caught up in the credit crisis and worried about unloading hundreds of billions in leveraged loans -- not to mention subprime paper -- the purchase of credit-focused GSO Capital could prove a novel way for the private equity firm to finance investments hung up on loans big banks and brokerages might be inclined to shun.

Founded by former Credit Suisse (CS Quote - Cramer on CS - Stock Picks) executive Bennett Goodman, GSO Capital underscored its ability to serve as a financing alternative when it and Farallon Capital Management provided private equity firm Hellman & Friedman with $500 million in commitments for senior subordinated financing in October. Hellman needed the financing for its nearly $2.7 billion offer for Goodman Global, a leading commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning company.

For Blackstone, a source of steady funding amid the credit crisis also means it won't be beholden to creditors such as JPMorgan Chase(JPM Quote - Cramer on JPM - Stock Picks), Goldman Sachs(GS Quote - Cramer on GS - Stock Picks), Lehman Brothers(LEH Quote - Cramer on LEH - Stock Picks), Bank of America (BAC Quote - Cramer on BAC - Stock Picks) and Merrill Lynch(MER Quote - Cramer on MER - Stock Picks).

The perception that deal flow would be significantly pinched in the coming years as banks attempt to unwind their leveraged loan portfolios has particularly hit Blackstone's shares. The firm has lost around 40% of its value since it priced its IPO to much fanfare in the summer. Blackstone's shares were up 9.6% at $19.84 Thursday on the heels of its acquisition of GSO, a deal worth up to $930 million.

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