Fund performance: Almost a third of credit funds reach positive YTD returns
July has been a successful month for many credit funds, despite the recovery peaking in May and June

CLO funds top rankings, but still have ground to make up
CLOs may have taken a hammering in March but, for the fourth consecutive month, funds that invest in these assets dominate our ranking of the top performing credit funds

Muzinich reaches €210 million first close for lower mid-market credit fund
Muzinich & Co has held a €210 million first close on a second lower middle market, pan-European private debt fund, Muzinich Pan-European II Private Debt Fund

Credit fundraising: distressed keeps in favour but CLO ETFs emerge
Five months into global lockdown and distressed debt funds are still proving popular, but several managers have found success pitching other types of credit strategies

Nordic boutique Evli hires as part of plan to expand in private debt
Evli Fund Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Helskini-based bank Evli, is looking to add private debt to its offerings

GSO prepares inaugural non-traded BDC
GSO Capital Partners, the credit-focused business of the Blackstone Group, is preparing to launch an inaugural non-traded business development company named Blackstone Private Credit Fund

Capital Four holds first close on senior European direct lending fund
Capital Four has held a first close on its European direct lending fund, Private Debt III 

Investors should invest in private debt throughout 2020, says bfinance
Private debt has so far proved able to maintain stable valuations and pay coupons in 2020 so investors should keep faith through the year, according to investment consultant bfinance

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 

Sixth Street nears $12 billion for flexible global credit fund
Sixth Street collected $8.5 billion for its fifth TSSP Adjacent Opportunities Partners fund, TAO 5.0, by the end of July, with the fund nearing its $12 billion hard cap

Carlyle appoints European credit investor relations head
Carlyle Group has appointed an ex-Bain official as head of global credit investor relations in Europe

European direct lending fundraising dropped 77% YoY in Q2
European direct lending fundraising figures plunged in Q2 2020, as the effects of the covid-19 pandemic were felt across the globe

Pantheon partner takes new role as head of European investor relations
Pantheon has assigned a new role to one of its partners, appointing him head of investor relations for EMEA

Direct lenders brace for requests to ignore covid quarters
Direct lenders will need to think about using different tracking mechanisms to measure a portfolio company’s performance going forward, as key metrics have been affected by covid-induced volatility, say market participants

Fund performance: Credit funds post double-digit gains
June returns have once again been led by CLO funds, as seven out of the top 10 belong to our CLOs category.

Credit funds at a glance (August 2020)
A round-up of fundraising and people moves

Ucits at a glance: Ucits funds march on and erase Q1 losses
95% of Ucits credit funds listed with Creditflux posted positive returns in June to keep up the momentum from May when all but one fund was in positive territory

Credit hedge funds (August 2020)
Monthly credit hedge fund tables

Aon wraps up fundraising for $350 million opportunistic credit fund
The fund will target global investments across public corporate and structured credit, stressed credit and real estate debt

ICG plans €1 billion European special situations recovery fund
Intermediate Capital Group is targeting a €1 billion final close on its second multi-strategy special situations fund, which aims to exploit opportunities in the loan market arising from the coronavirus-induced pandemic

Prime launches global fund of niche credit funds
Prime Capital is preparing a new fund of niche credit funds in a strategy the firm has dubbed Liquid Alternative Credit Fund, and the Frankfurt-based manager will launch the fund with $30 million capital from three seed investors

LP round up: pension creates private credit bucket as Florida eyes 'best distressed opportunity ever'
There was no slowdown in credit allocations last week, wrapping up what has been an extremely busy July. $1.4 billion has been allocated to credit, it has emerged over the last seven days, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux.

Legg Mason teams with affiliate Western for credit fund
Legg Mason has teamed up with its affiliate Western Asset Management to launch a closed-ended fund to invest in a diversified portfolio of fixed income securities, according to fund registration filed by the pair yesterday

Tikehau launches three private debt funds and sells 54% stake in DWS
Tikehau Capital’s private debt group had a busy first half of 2020, with key highlights including three fund launches: its first open-ended private debt fund, a new French direct lending fund and a first close on its fifth flagship European direct lending fund

Azimut purchases 20% stake in US private credit manager
Azimut Group has purchased a 20% equity stake in a $2.1 billion opportunistic private credit manager