CLO portfolios are diversified across sectors — but not by business model
Sector analysis isn’t deep enough to discover which companies will be boosted by AI — and which will nosedive

AI will upend operational models in a very short space of time
With online travel firm equities and life insurer CDS already off by a third, the systemic risk of AI is real

Lenders hit by LMEs will eventually have to increase the cost of capital
Chipping away at what has made loans successful has a cost

ESG initiatives should avoid unfavourable reactions by pursuing substance over form
By any financial measure, the collaboration of trans activist Dylan Mulvaney with Bud Light hurt the brand. What was formerly America’s best-selling beer saw its market share collapse — from over 35% in May 2023 to around 9% in June — because of a boycott by US conservatives after a 60-second TikTok video aired of Mulvaney drinking it.

Fed members need to restore their credibility, which could translate into excessive tightening
Rising wages have boosted spending and GDP — but the party can’t last forever

"All that remains is to thank all of you who have kept faith with my monthly confessions of insanity"
With the economic outlook now beyond a joke, Welshcake signs off amid denials he is actually a Welsh footballer  

"This ‘higher rates for longer’ saga is more like the 1920-21 depression than the 1970s high inflation era"
Sometimes you have to swallow your medicine and take a step back to go forwards

Points up front: ESG official rants at ESG
Stuart Kirk, the former head of responsible investing at HSBC Asset Management, signed off on a frank note as he unveiled his resignation on LinkedIn

They said it: "We are proud to be moving our industry in a direction that will bring greater liquidity..."
Brian Carosielli, co-head of global credit trading at Bank of America, on a new CLO trading platform 

"The shutdown of economies in the pandemic showed it’s better to suffer up front"
Rather than prolong the agony, central banks would be better off bunching their planned rate hikes into one    

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

We’ll get through this awkward patch
Wide liabilities have made pricing CLOs trickier in the past few months. But speakers at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium were optimistic that the arbitrage is OK — so long as you can place those triple As

"It’ll take something special to drag my attention away from Depp/Heard, but Jerome Powell could just do it"
It’s not easy letting go of the past, but May heralds the start of something new in credit

Points up front: Italian international tackles banking after rugby
In his latest column, on page 21, Thomas Majewski draws similarities between the CLO market and a youth soccer game. Turns out there might also be parallels between investment banking and rugby

Points up front: "It’s all me, me, me"
A study last month by the University of Marburg found that narcissistic fund managers are up to 34% more likely to deviate from their advertised investment style, and they tend to underperform non-narcissists.

"Faltering oil supply is lamentable at a time of strategic and moral shortfall"
We need to accept the pain and cut dependence on Russian oil today

Flexible approach is designed to deliver competitive performance
Nuveen’s Symphony CLOs benefit from teams who are active across a range of credit and bond funds

"The loan market is the septic tank for sub-single B LBO financing"
Portfolios of single name IG CDS are less complex and more liquid than CLOs

"Strong growth is not necessary for good loan or bond performance, but it keeps a recession at bay"
The picture in credit was looking good (even with inflation rising) until Russia invaded Ukraine

They said it: "The third term is Jinping’s legacy..."
... He does not care about near-term growth."

Points up front: A true rock star lawyer
When corporations proclaim they are looking to recruit ‘rock stars’ (as is common these days), this usually means they are seeking highly proficient candidates for a desk job

"Boardrooms are being hustled by activist shareholders using ESG data to drive economic value"
Pledges have been made and the Race to Zero has begun. Firms need to put their plans in place

"In 2022, being slow will not be such a bad thing"
St David losing its place as the UK’s smallest city would be a travesty. Replacing Libor might be worse

"If ESG funds only talk the talk, it is because investors, legislators and regulators don’t walk the walk"
Whatever an ESG fund means to you, it probably means something different to the next investor

Everyone’s ramping