Ucits at a glance: Ucits continue to chart a steady course

CLOs at a glance: innovations arrive as year draws to close

Big firms better prepped for Libor change and less operationally exposed, survey finds
The largest financial organisations are further ahead with their Libor transition efforts, and are likelier to move into 2020 with 'greater confidence' than small and mid-size firms, according to a market survey

Goldman Sachs AM explores interval structure for credit fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has begun marketing for an interval fund primarily focused on credit investments

Ucits at a glance: ucits continue to chart a steady course

First Eagle buys US CLO manager THL Credit
Two years after establishing its credit business with the acquisition of NewStar Financial, First Eagle Investment Management is aiming big again after striking a deal to buy THL Credit Advisors

Deluxe decline leaves CLOs feeling deflated

Euro loan trading: CLOs hang up on top speed-dial contact
Telco Altice, the most prevalent holding for European CLOs, became the most sold issuer of the month, but ION Corporates was the most popular 

US loan trading: CLO managers flee Acosta but gorge on Buckeye
Loan holdings in October gave CLO managers a taste of the good, the bad and the ugly: they feasted on Buckeye, fled Acosta, and could not get rid of Deluxe   

CIFC beefs up investor relations team in London with two hires
CIFC Asset Management has hired from Muzinich and Murano in a bid to strengthen its European investor relations effort

Marathon issues CLO with limitation on B3 loans
Marathon Asset Management’s new $405 million US CLO has a 25% cap on loans rated B3 and below, says a source close to the deal

CLO managers brace themselves for Acosta bankruptcy
CLOs hold $402.5 million exposure to Acosta, a sales and marketing agency that is looking likely to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy soon. A total of $163.7 million of Acosta’s term loan left the hands of CLOs in 2019

Western adds 5% CLO bucket to listed US loan fund
Western Asset Management has added CLO debt and equity tranches to the investment mandate on a loan fund that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange

DFG seeks secondary loans for new series of Pulsar CLOs
DFG Investment Advisers is launching a new line of CLOs with collateral sourced entirely in the secondary market

Western to launch European loan business after hiring portfolio manager
Western Asset Management is launching a European corporate loan business after hiring an experienced credit portfolio manager with a background rooted in the CLO industry

CBOs aren’t fixated on interest rate moves

Established firms say managers new to European CLOs will struggle to attract assets
New managers making their way in the European CLO market may have a fight on their hands, with sources noting the difficulty these firms face in getting sizeable allocations.

We didn’t take full advantage of volatility

The ideal home for a loan

Managers dispel myth that lenders can’t influence ESG
There’s a growing belief among credit fund managers that they can influence borrowers to take on ESG-friendly practices, contrary to the widely-accepted notion that the business practices of companies are dictated by their private equity owners.

Regrettably, a small number of CLO debt investors insist on ‘hardcoded’ Sofr replacement provisions
Sofr looks like the most likely candidate to replace Libor, but it is still risky to write it into CLO documentation