Credit Rendezvous: Make yourself comfortable, there’s a storm coming
In our Q1 outlook, we speak to Edwin Wilches, PGIM (US CLOs), Mikkel Sckerl and Flemming Dose, Capital Four (European CLOs),  Jim Fitzpatrick, CQS (US loans), Loic Prevot, Polus (European loans), Madelaine Jones, Oaktree (global high yield), Art Penn, Pennant Park (US direct lending), Mattis Poetter, Arcmont (European direct lending), Keerthi Raghavan, Waterfall (structured credit), Ray Costa, Benefit Street (distressed), Grant Webster, Ninety One (Emerging markets), Oumar Diallo, Aeon (real assets) for their views for the upcoming quarter. 

European CLO managers trade loans to avoid (par) burn
Between March and July, European CLO managers traded €21 billion of assets within CLOs that were still in their reinvestment period as opportunities arose amid a weaker macro environment and Russia’s war with Ukraine

Beneath the triple C: Stormy October hits CLOs with rising tide of downgrades
After a slight respite in the pace of downgrades over the summer for CLOs, October brought renewed momentum as macro-economic pressures - primarily high interest rate burdens for corporate borrowers and supply side inflation - became the recurring rationale

LP round up: two managers terminated as 20 win $2.5 billion
US institutional investors allocated over $2.5 billion to 20 credit managers in October, according to documents seen by Creditflux. Two credit fund managers however were terminated in the month

CSAM does the CLO awards double
Winning the Creditflux Manager of the Year award is a feat in itself. Winning it back-to-back in such different markets is an outstanding achievement — and CSAM can take great pride in it

You seem familiar
The overlap between European CLOs has risen to 51.6%, but the largest issuers are only slightly more aligned to their peers at 55.19% — so bonds are proving to be an important differentiator

Managers debate ethics of investments in arms makers

LP round up: Oak Hill wins $3bn mandate as credit allocations near $10bn in March
Institutional investors revealed over $9.5 billion of allocations to credit funds in March. Oak Hill Advisors walked away with the largest mandate, as US heavyweight pension Calpers allocated a whopping $3 billion across several of its funds

Credit Rendezvous: Credit spins full circle
The third quarter was massive in terms of volumes with CLOs, high yield, leverage loans and private equity registering record issuance. But credit spreads were up and down as inflation fears, crackdowns in China and rising coronavirus cases became catalysts for risk-off sentiment in July and September

Everyone’s ramping

Siaci €202 million loan to leave CLOs after merger as new debt guided in low 400s
Burrus has outlined price talk on an €850 million loan backing its acquisition and merger with Siaci, a popular CLO credit

CLO investors don Euribor caps to hedge rising rates
Euribor-capped tranches have made a comeback in European CLOs, with AIG and PGIM understood to be behind them. Sources say PGIM has been investing in triple A-rated tranches, while AIG has taken on double-A rated tranches

CLO PM set to leave PGIM ahead of move to London-based manager
A London-based mid-sized CLO manager has hired an official from PGIM 

Woah, we’re halfway there
Judging by the 2020 vintage, European CLO overlap is 50%. But varied approaches to holding bonds and the many loans managers turn down mean there are ways for issuers to outperform

Credit Rendezvous: ready and waiting
In Creditflux's quarterly review of credit, portfolio managers tell us that Inflation is likely to nudge higher but they are optimistic because dispersion will pick up and windows of volatility will emerge, rather than elongated phases of stress 

CLO managers eye bonds as short-dated loan universe shrinks
European CLO managers that focus on bonds say they had flexibility in the first quarter as the new issue loan pipeline ramped up

Sterling-heavy loan b-wic points to PGIM CLO
A £233 million-equivalent portfolio of bids wanted in competition (B-wic) on loans, comprising £177 million worth of sterling paper and €65 million of euro paper, is almost identical to collateral of PGIM’s Dryden 63 GBP CLO 2018

PGIM hires senior European lev fin PM
PGIM has hired the former head of European high yield and global loans at Aberdeen Standard Investments

LP round up: $5 billion flows to credit as private market allocations increase
Global institutional investors allocated nearly $5 billion to credit funds this week, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Barings and PGIM win loan and structured credit mandates as pension puts £2.7bn in credit
The firms will manage global syndicated loans, securitised credit, emerging market debt and global high yield credit for Border to Coast Pension Partnership's £2.7 billion ($3.43 billion) multi-asset credit fund 

PGIM hires for newly created ESG fixed income research role
PGIM has appointed a former Allianz official into the newly created role of head of environmental, social & governance (ESG) research for its fixed income division

European CLO portfolio overlap increases by 3%: S&P
European CLO portfolio overlap for new issue deals since mid-March has increased to 37.73%, according to a recent report by S&P, around 3% higher than the average of 36% for all European CLOs rated by S&P

LP round up: Connecticut eyes Fortress for private credit partnership
Investors placed $3.3 billion across 26 credit mandates over the past fortnight, according to documents seen by Creditflux 

PGIM prepares listed credit fund
PGIM is marketing a ‘flexible’ listed fund, dubbed PGIM Strategic Credit Fund , to invest at least 80% across fixed income

Europe’s newcomers find ways to stand out
Last year’s new European CLO managers needed to provide something different for investors. In general, they’ve succeeded, with Capital Four having one of the smallest overlap figures in our data