Mercer puts private debt at heart of $2.7 billion fund of fund
Mercer has held a final close at $2.7 billion for a private markets fund that offers investors access to private debt and sustainable products  

Californian pension opens search for consultant
Sacramento County Employees Retirement Scheme has launched a request for proposals from consultants to advise on what it has dubbed its 'alternatives portfolio'

Credit Rendezvous: the outlook in 2020 across a dozen segments of the credit market
Welcome to the Credit Rendezvous, the first instalment of a regular feature published by Creditflux that tracks credit market dynamics in a dozen segments from investment grade, liquid loans, CLOs and CSOs all the way through to distressed debt. We view this as the meeting point for credit specialists across strategies to share their perspectives

California pension looks to cut liquid credit allocations
Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association will likely cut back on liquid credit and completely remove hedge fund allocations in 2020.. But the pension is optimistic about core bonds – and may include it as a new asset class

First Eagle closes fourth direct lending fund at $782 million
First Eagle Investment Management has collected $782 million on its fourth direct lending fund, THL Credit Direct Lending Fund IV, marking the first private credit fund closed since Boston-based THL Credit was acquired by First Eagle in December 

Audax prices first mid market CLO of the year
Audax Private Debt has priced its third CLO in a deal arranged by Wells Fargo, which so far has a monopoly as arranger for the private debt manager.

Pimco plans to outperform come rain or shine with $4.5bn all-weather fund
Pimco has become the latest manager to fashion a flexible, all weather credit fund that invests across public and private markets, geographies and capital structures. The Newport Beach-based manager is hoping to raise $3 billion for the strategy. With half a turn of leverage, it could have up to $4.5 billion to deploy.

PGIM invests $13 billion in mid market companies in 2019
PGIM Private Capital provided $13 billion in senior and junior capital to 228 middle-market companies globally in 2019, according to a company press release

BDCs feel squeeze on liquidity as SEC rejects plea for relief
Sources say that the chances of relief being granted to business development companies over the acquired fund fees and expenses (AFFE) rule are slim. Last month, industry body Coalition for Business Development stated optimistically that the “harm caused by the AFFE disclosure can be remedied in the final fund of funds rules”.

Fund performance: Presents under the tree as CLO funds perform

Credit funds at a glance

Private credit funds could find better buying opportunities this year, says NEPC
Institutional investors looking to allocate to private credit in 2020 should focus on distressed debt, opportunistic credit and niche lending, according to investment consultant NEPC, with 2019 vintage funds potentially seeing “better buying opportunities” despite valuations being at cyclical highs

Apollo Global Management ends year with a bang
CLOs returned 8% while direct origination continues to be "rocket fuel", the company said

Yielco collects €675 million across two private debt fund of fund strategies
The Munich-based firm held a final close on its inaugural private debt fund of funds strategy and has also won a separate prive debt mandate

Carlyle appoints regional head of credit opps fund
Carlyle Group has hired a managing director to serve as North American head of its credit opps fund

TPG in talks to split from credit arm TSSP - media reports
Private equity firm TPG is in talks to split with its credit arm TPG Sixth Street Partners, according to media reports, with TPG considering looking to launch and build out its own internal credit platform

Investors preferred real asset debt to corporate private debt in 2019, finds Bfinance
Bfinance stated that, in dollar terms, real asset debt searches conducted by investors outweighed corporate private debt searches in 2019

New York pension allocates $100 million to US direct lending fund
New York State Teachers Common has awarded $100 million to a direct lending fund, as its private debt portfolio delivers 10.7% net IRR 

Louisiana pension earmarks $30 million for US private credit
This isn’t a first time relationship for the $1.8 billion pension fund, who previously granted  $50 million to the manager's previous fund in October 2018

TCA liquidates credit hedge fund amid SEC accounting investigation
TCA Fund Management Group is liquidating and shutting down its main credit hedge fund TCA Global Credit Master Fund, according to media reports, after an investigation initiated by Securities and Exchange Commission over the group’s accounting practices

Ares wins $750 million for direct lending SMA with another $100 million in the pipeline
Two US based pension schemes have recently backed or looked to commit to direct lending products managed by Ares Management, according to documents seen by Creditflux  

Morgan Stanley IM hires from Carlyle again as it makes direct lending "strategic priority"
The new hire rejoins former colleague Jeff Levin, who Morgan Stanley Investment Management added in February last year to establish a direct lending business as a "strategic priority"

Texas pension backs ICG credit fund
Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) committed $167 million to a fund managed by Intermediate Capital Group in January, according to documents seen by Creditflux.