Ucits at a glance: Ucits see red in a tough June for returns
June marked an exceptionally tough month for Ucits funds, as none of those listed in the Creditflux database made it into the black

Credit hedge funds (August 2022)
Credit hedge fund returns  

Fund performance: Select funds shine in dreary June for credit hedge funds
Credit funds suffered through June, as only 8% of listed funds reached the black. This made June the fourth month in a row in which negative returns increased

Market rides out China-US fray with oil, rates and jobs back in focus
US and European credit markets are exhibiting a firmer tone on Wednesday, with investor focus having shifted from Taiwan concerns to Opec+ oil supply. But a looming Bank of England rate hike and US jobs data mean caution remains the watchword

JP Morgan AM names head of private credit secondaries
The firm says the hire reflects “significant demand for secondaries strategies from clients across the globe, reflecting the need for greater liquidity to take advantage of opportunities as private debt markets mature"

China concerns fuel sell-off, but technical trading drives Euro-US relative value shift
Another lurch wider for spreads is reopening some of the recently healed divide between European and US credit performance, even though US-China relations are among investors’ biggest growing concerns

Italian rally extends as Europe opens week on stronger tone than US
Improvement in Italian spreads is helping the European market maintain its better tone at the start of the week, but after July’s rally many investors will be wary at entering a month that has often been negative for credit performance

Ares plans four credit fund launches amid strong deployment
Ares Management benefitted from strong private credit deployment in the quarted and unveiled plans to raise its sixth European direct lending fund, second flagship closed-end alternative credit fund and third US junior capital direct lending fund

Relief rally extends despite US and EU sending mixed signals on recession
Growth and inflation data on Friday has added impetus for the European Central Bank to maintain a hawkish stance at its September meeting, despite US signals suggesting that economy is in recession

Invesco holds final closed for distressed fund at $644 million
Invesco has made a final close of its global distressed credit and special sitiations fund known as Invesco Credit Partners Fund II

Fed gives boost to markets, but warm glow may wane fast
Financial markets are carrying over the rally they began on Wednesday, after the US Federal Reserve appeared to signal it could ease its foot off the pedal with future rate hikes

US tech earnings fuel relief rally even as Europe's gas supply drops
Stronger than anticipated earnings at US tech giants have boosted financial market sentiment and brought a relief rally to credit following yesterday’s sell-off

BlackRock closes £1.7 billion private debt fund with wide mandate for UK pensions
The firm has deployed around 60% of the fund, which invests across US and European direct lending, US and European real estate debt and the firm’s global opportunistic strategy

Russia and retail put stop to credit rally with big spread reversal
Russia’s move to cut gas supplies once again to Europe, as well as a Walmart profit warning in the US, are weighing heavily on markets Tuesday and sending credit spreads sharply wider

Russia CDS auction deliverables list takes shape after sanctions licence
Russian Federation bonds cleared by Euroclear may be the only deliverable obligations to settle sovereign CDS contracts referencing the country, the Emea Determinations Committee has said, although it is also considering Clearstream listed bonds as it moves forward with preparations for a credit event auction

Russia CDS settlement receives boost from US sanctions update
The long wait to settle CDS contracts referencing the Russia Federation could soon be over, with previous uncertainty over how US sanctions would impact a credit event auction apparently having been addressed

Credit PM pair seek galaxy of opportunities with long/short fund manager launch
Two experienced portfolio managers have set up a new venture to take advantage of volatile markets

Credit Rendezvous: Investors try to avoid suplex city as recession and inflation reform tag-team
Credit investors getting ready to lock up against that familiar 1970s pairing of inflation and recession. But the hard-hitting tag team has picked up some new moves, causing floating rate outperformance to give way to underperformance; synthetic credit to outperform cash; and CLO terms curves to reshape into barely recognisable positions

Eagle Point expands into structured products including SRTs with big hire
Eagle Point Credit Management has hired a head of ABS, MBS SRT and specialty finance, in a move which underlines the firm’s progression from a CLO equity investor to a broader credit asset manager.

Five credit managers win nearly $1 billion from UK pension pool
Five private credit funds emerged as winners after UK pension pool Border to Coast revealed $1 billion in a wide variety of private credit commitments

Monroe goes on fundraising trail for second opportunistic private credit fund
Monroe Capital has incorporated vehicles for its second opportunistic private credit fund, just two months after closing its inaugural fund, according to regulatory filings

Relief rally lifts markets despite Italy turmoil adding to ECB headache
Financial markets look to be heading to the weekend on a slightly firmer tone, as investors ease back from their bearish positioning of recent sessions

Italian rout gathers pace as credit relationships warp well beyond historical norms
Renewed selling pressure on Thursday has taken credit spreads back towards the year’s wides, with financial borrowers underperforming as Chinese covid cases, US inflation and a drought in Italy all weigh on sentiment

CSAM closes inaugural global direct lending fund with $3bn deployable capital
Credit Suisse Asset Management has held a final close of its inaugural private credit opportunities fund at $1.67 billion. With leverage, the fund will have ‘in excess of $3 billion’ to deploy

Europe takes brunt of spread blowout as US inflation exceeds forecasts
The gap in performance between European and US credit has yawned wider on Wednesday, with investors adding hedges indices in response to a key inflation number that came out higher than expected