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

Ucits at a glance: Ucits recover lost ground
The foot has come off the gas for many funds - 57% of funds did not break the 2% return barrier.

Index tranche volumes go into overdrive as CSOs stall
CDS index tranche trading has gathered pace during the coronavirus pandemic, putting the asset class on course for a post-2008 crisis record.

Lufthansa climbs as shareholder airs bailout grievances
Deutsche Lufthansa is among today's biggest underperformers in credit and stock markets, as a battle brews with its largest shareholder over the terms of a €9 billion government bailout for the airline

US jitters set in ahead of monthly options expiry
A gap has opened up again in the performance of European credit versus US ahead of this month's CDS options expiries, after a shakier trading session in New York yesterday

Big reverse rally as hopes rise for US stimulus
Credit markets are rallying sharply today, along with rising stocks, on expectations the US is about to deliver another stimulus package to help address the damage caused to its economy by covid-19

Relief rally follows relative value trading on US/Europe credit and tranches
Credit markets look set to end the week on a cautious retracement tighter, after several sessions of heavy reminders the coronavirus crisis is far from over and that sector/geographical selection remains important

Covid-19 second wave fears drive divergence as spread widening accelerates
This week's credit market sell-off has picked up pace, along with a fall in stocks, after the US Federal Reserve painted a pessimistic picture for economic recovery and concerns mount about a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic

Market sell-off takes Europe on convergence path with US
Convergence between European and US credit has gathered pace, with the differential between both investment grade and high yield CDS indices reaching new recent tights

Convergence trades in focus as US high yield wobbles at the tights
US convergence with Europe is the theme of this week, at least in high yield, with CDX HY having narrowed to within 80bp of iTraxx Crossover 

US lags as credit explores three-month tights
Credit markets in Europe and Asia have begun June on a rally to their tightest levels in nearly three months, with optimism over reopening economies outweighing concern about US/China trade negotiations. But US credit looks set for a more cautious opening, after a weekend of widespread protests and rioting

Fund performance: CLO tranches move up
April returns managed a partial bounce back after a tumultuous March. 82% of funds listed in the Creditflux database made positive returns, showing at least small signs of recovery after 90% of all funds listed posted negative returns in March

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

Ucits at a glance: Ucits begin recovery phase
April returns prove positive for Ucits funds as 85% of those listed in the Creditflux database have moved into the black after a rough March

Volatility trading has room to run, say strategists, as market holds firm after rally
Big intraday swings have abated from the credit market, but spreads are finely poised in their mid-range positioning between the March peaks of the crisis and pre-crisis levels. According to strategists, this leaves plenty to play for in volatility trading

Idiosyncratic risk keeps traders on their toes as volatility abates
Global credit markets are ending the week at wider levels, after early gains, with optimism waning on the likely pace of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and nervousness ahead of key economic numbers next week. But volatility has clearly abated from the picture, replaced by greater focus on some of the more troubled companies and sectors

KKR takes covid-19 hit on flagship credit funds and lev fin
KKR took a 16% hit to returns on its alternative credit flagship funds amid the first quarter coronavirus downturn and a 13% loss on leveraged credit, taking these into negative territory for the last 12 months. The firm's private equity portfolio also slumped by 12%

Credit finely poised despite German affront to ECB bond buying programme
Credit markets have hit a moment of near equilibrium, with little change in most spreads, as the market seeks firmer answers to questions lockdown easing, earnings, oil supply/demand and political stand-offs

US-Europe relative value gap closes as market sell-off resumes
Credit markets are heading wider into the weekend, with European underperformance closing a relative value gap that had opened with the US last Friday. The moves accompany detoriation in equity markets, stoked by the threat of a renewed US-China tariff war, pressured bank results, airline job cuts and poor UK economic numbers

Selecta and Southwest battered as market trades flat as a pancake
Single name credit movements are taking focus as market volatility abates, with Selecta Group and Southwest Airlines earnings putting them among the biggest wideners

Airlines and banks lead way as credit rallies on aid measures
Airlines are getting the best of a positive start to the week, with hopes of financial assistance growing for European carriers and spreads generally pushing tighter after the Bank of Japan unveiled new stimulus measures

Credit keeps its own rhythm amid oil crash and EU clash
As another week of worry and disappointment ends, the most optimistic thing that can be said for credit is the new peak spreads are lower than those that went before - suggesting a more manageable level of volatility is starting to characterise the market

US/Europe relative value in play as oil prices stabilise
Tightening European credit indices today have added to the relative value trading opportunity with US counterparts ahead of that market's open

Market sell-off gathers pace as oil rout spills over into credit
Credit spreads are pushing wider across the board today, along with slumping stocks, after a crash in oil prices took WTI futures below zero for the first time

Credit Rendezvous: recovery begins, but is it U, V or even W?
Investing in credit is not as easy as ABC. The coronavirus crisis has crushed valuations and although most assets will eventually pull to par, no one is sure how the recovery will pan out