If the loan was not cov-lite, it is likely that Weight Watchers would have defaulted
Cov-lite loans have negative connotations, but they will enable some companies to trade through a bad patch and return to health  

New issues keep managers busy in summer season
New issue loans made up 74.1% of volumes in August, supporting US CLO managers looking to ramp up. Spreads tightened to 368bp, but managers can’t complain — it’s much better than in Q1

CLO market gauges counterparty risk as it predicts economic cycle will turn
Credit is showing symptoms of a cycle in its latter stages, according to CLO market participants. While this makes loan and manager selection important, participants are increasingly focusing on counterparty risk.

August: fund performance
CLO spreads jumped wider in August, but funds that invest in these assets have been able to outperform

September: credit funds at a glance
White Oak Global Advisors held a $2.1 billion final close on a new direct lending fund, while Phil Raciti's move from CVC Credit Partners to Halcyon Capital Management was one of the biggest moves in the credit industry

Alaska fund appoints CIO
Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC), the $65 billion sovereign wealth fund, has promoted an official to chief investment officer.

Symphony CEO Stein steps down after 19 years
Symphony Asset Management's CEO and CIO has resigned, with four colleagues assuming his responsibilities

Halcyon poaches CVC's US performing credit head Raciti
Halcyon Capital Management has poached CVC Credit Partners’ Philip Raciti and appointed him head of US performing credit and portfolio manager

Calpers appoints CIO
California Public Employees Retirement System (Calpers), the $360 billion pension fund, has appointed Yu Ben Meng as chief investment officer.

BlackRock adds $34 billion of assets with Citibanamex buyout
BlackRock has acquired the asset management business of Citibanamex, a Mexico-based banking firm and subsidiary of Citigroup

BlackRock becomes latest manager to explore interval fund structure for credit
Several managers have hit the market with the interval fund structure, as investors look to invest in illiquid strategies through an illiquid fund structure

CPPIB hires high profile European credit portfolio manager in London
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has hired an experienced PM who previously worked on CLOs and private credit at Apollo

Tetragon confirms appointment of former BlackRock US CLO co-head Snell
Scott Snell, former head of BlackRock's US CLO unit, has joined Tetragon 

Private credit specialist rejoins Ares in Los Angeles
Ares Capital Management has appointed managing director Michael Zugay to its private credit team in Los Angeles 

Ares brings in credit portfolio managers from DoubleLine and Pimco
Ares Management has bolstered its liquid credit team with the appointment of Jason Duko and Kapil Singh, who join as partners and portfolio managers

American Beacon teams up with Apollo for credit interval fund
Regulatory filings reveal that Apollo will allocate assets across four main areas: US corporate credit, global corporate credit, structured credit and real estate credit

Loomis Sayles makes global fixed income senior role changes
Kenneth Buntrock, portfolio manager and co-team leader of the global fixed income team will retire in March 2019  

Baker McKenzie adds two global finance partners in London office
Global law firm Baker McKenzie has bolstered its finance team with the addition of two partners in the London office

The perception of liquidity is often not the same as the reality
Investec Asset Management's Jeff Boswell takes our credit quiz and discusses liquidity in Europe, the former "darling of the European debt market" Vivarte and the Matrix

Texas pension awards $175 million to distressed debt and strategic credit
The $30.1 billion Texas pension fund has mandated $175 million to Arbour Lane and Marblegate 

TwentyFour expands into US with head of US credit appointment in New York
TwentyFour Asset Management has appointed David Norris as head of US credit to lead the firm’s expansion into the US

Stifel builds out leveraged finance team with big hire
The new unit will focus on origination, underwriting, and syndication of leveraged loans and high-yield securities

Managers cash in as investors come calling
Credit management platforms are being viewed as attractive investments, with a slew of acquisitions taking place in recent months — mainly involving private credit operators

Loan market finds balance as spreads edge wider
New issue volumes were robust in July with relatively few loan refinancings getting done. Loan portfolio managers say the loan market is finally balanced, having been in favour of borrowers

King & Spalding adds debt specialist as partner in its Chicago office
Global law firm King & Spalding has appointed Amy Peters as partner in its corporate, finance and investments practice group