Loans sit above bonds in the capital-structure and are secured, so recoveries are historically far better than for unsecured high-yield bonds. They pay floating, so their price is insensitive to rate moves and their coupon rises with the policy rate.
That floating coupon cuts both ways: it protects investors from duration but raises the borrower's interest burden precisely when the central bank is tightening, which is why loan default rates tend to climb after hiking cycles.
Example: a term loan pays SOFR plus 375 with a 0% floor. With SOFR at 4.85% the all-in coupon is 8.60%. Trading at 97, the discount margin is roughly 375 + 60 = 435 basis points over a three-year expected life.
Related: clo, high-yield, covenant-lite, capital-structure, sofr