It's a-live! AI platform launch puts US ratings in spotlight
RoboR8, a fintech platform that aims to democratise credit ratings through artificial intelligence, has launched and hopes to rate 50,000 companies by the end of December, before building to several million in 2022.

Energy crunch grows as differentiator for EM and western credit
Surging energy prices are adding to the inflationary picture in global economies and point to a mounting crisis that could bring sharply divergent performance for different parts of the credit market

Adler spreads return to earth as TUI gains altitude
German real estate company Adler is among stronger performers as credit markets strike an improved tone on Tuesday, while travel company TUI is an outlier to the wide side

Real estate relief boosts high yield but retail rout gathers pace
A mixed week for credit has taken German real estate company Adler back to safer levels while sending two supermarket retailers further into the realms of most risky in the iTraxx Crossover universe

Credit Rendezvous: Credit spins full circle
The third quarter was massive in terms of volumes with CLOs, high yield, leverage loans and private equity registering record issuance. But credit spreads were up and down as inflation fears, crackdowns in China and rising coronavirus cases became catalysts for risk-off sentiment in July and September

Hedging picks up as dip-buying is weighed against inflation
Inflation and rates will be the central drivers of credit market performance into the end of the year and beyond, investors and strategists agree

Credit suffers double punch from treasury and energy surge
Credit markets are nursing their wounds after taking a battering on Wednesday, prompted by a surge in oil prices and spike in government bond yields that add to concerns about rising inflation

Investors shrug at new Evergrande bond deadline a week on from roll havoc
Chinese real estate giant Evergrande looks unlikely to meet a $45 million bond payment due on Wednesday despite reports it plans to sell a $1.5 billion commercial bank stake. But credit markets are showing very little reaction despite initial default concerns having up-ended CDS index rolls only last week

Chinese power crunch brings off day for credit as investor optimism dims
Concerns about a China slowdown, Germany's election result, rate hikes and the US government's inability to lift its debt ceiling have contributed to a sharp move wider in credit, as investors attempt to digest a variety of big unknowns

HY set to roll after rocky week scuttles investors
Market participants are holding their breath ahead of the roll of US high yield index CDX HY, after a week of volatility and fund outflows

Credit rally extends as Fed hurdle passes and Evergrande views evolve
Credit markets are rallying for a second day, after the US Federal Reserve meeting indicated a shortening timeline to rate hikes but no shocks. A key deadline for China Evergrande bond payments still overshadows the Thursday session, but investor expectations have gravitated to a more localised impact for any fall out

Credit optimism returns on Evergrande and Fed but big questions loom large
Credit markets have moved onto a firmer footing, with one day of this week’s US Federal Reserve meeting out of way and troubled Chinese real estate behemoth Evergrande having negotiated a domestic yuan bond payment. But there is plenty of room for upset in the coming sessions

Real estate panic brings turbulent changeover for credit indices
New credit derivative index series have emerged at much wider levels, after a turbulent market rout made roll day more challenging for participants

US spreads narrow gap with Europe as credit hits new record tights
Corporate credit spreads are exploring new tights for the year, with Europe taking its turn to grind inwards once again today after strong sessions in Asia earlier and the US on Tuesday

Chinese credit makes gains as Europe and US slump on Fed taper fears
Chinese credit spreads on Thursday depicted an island of optimism as global credit and stocks - including its own - slumped against a mounting confluence of concerns

Credit hedge funds (August 2021)
Credit hedge fund returns

US plays catch up with Europe as spreads reconverge
There has been a slight softening of European credit on Tuesday, even as stocks hold onto their record highs and US credit spreads take their chance to close the gap after recent underperformance

Publishing boost for French firm but China sours wider market
Lagardere is a notable positive outlier in another off day for the credit market, after China turmoil rocked stocks and sent spreads wider

China crackdown and Fed meeting rattle nerves
Credit spreads widened as financial markets began the week on a less certain footing amid panic stock selling in China and a retreat to treasuries ahead of the US Federal Reserve two-day monetary policy meeting

Credit Rendezvous: And breathe...
The unanimous verdict is that credit spreads will be moving wider – they have to. But the difficulty credit fund managers face is predicting when the next sell-off comes and how sharp it will be. In the Q3 instalment of Creditflux’s Credit Rendezvous, the over-riding message from portfolio managers is that there’s little point in taking on too much risk. The report features the views of prominent credit figures including Paul Horvath (Orchard), Himani Trivedi (Nuveen), Ronnie Jaber (Onex), Graham Rainbow (Alcentra) and Michelle Russell-Dowe (Schroders). The report looks at 14 segments of the market including CLOs, direct lending, leveraged loans, distressed debt and credit derivatives.  

The View from ION Analytics: paradise blues
The reopening of economies from Covid-19 lockdowns has created distortions in financial markets that are harder to navigate than those of the original sell-off in early 2020. Even big-name economists and central bankers are confused, changing their views in recent weeks. 

Shipping firm adds buoyancy amid few signs of choppiness in credit
CMA CGM, the French container shipping company, is a big mover today amid very calm waters elsewhere in credit.

Credit bull run picks up amid commodities surge
European credit spreads have made a sharp turn for the tighter, building on last week's strong run, even after Asian spreads weakened on rising commodity costs

Commodity inflation sends Asia spreads back to wides
Asian credit and stocks added to a rough few days with further sell offs on Thursday, outpacing deterioration in other regions

Sell-off regathers momentum as inflation signals mount
A glum mood has returned to financial markets, beginning with the US session on Tuesday and overspilling into global trading on Wednesday