US/Europe gap widens as states roll back reopening plans
Decoupling of US and European performance is the stand-out feature of credit this week, in which fears of a pandemic second wave and further US/China wrangles hold market improvement in check

Europe leads opening rally, with Asian boost to autos, banks and commodity traders
A bullish tone in Asia around the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has carried over into the rest of the credit market at the start of the week, taking European spreads tighter and pointing to a solid opening for the US after its long weekend

Europe outshines US despite caution on inflows and second wave
A week characterised by lower volatility and awash with returning European high yield issuance is ending on a cautious tone, with the US market on holiday and 'second wave' covid concerns bringing a pause to the credit rally

Curves and skews come back into play as CDS volumes swell
The rapid growth of the CDS market during the coronavirus pandemic has been consolidated in the second quarter, with investors putting on trades not seen in such volume since the 2008 financial crisis.

Fund performance: CLO funds keep up the momentum for second month running
May returns have been led by continued momentum from CLO funds. In the last month, funds that invest in CLO notes in some capacity have made up 90% of our top 10, while 97% of funds listed generated positive returns - an improvement of 15% on last month's figures.

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.

Algebris leads monthly returns in new world matrix
Algebris Macro Credit's return submission for May was among the best non-CLO/ABS fund performers out of those Creditflux tracks, adding to a strong turnaround for the strategy

VW gives EuropCar a lift
EuropCar is one of the biggest movers in the credit markets today, on reports that German carmaker Volkswagen is in talks to buy the French car rental firm

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

SocGen promotes cross-asset solutions specialist
Societe Generale has named a global head of economics, cross-asset and quant research

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%