EnTrust aims to onboard $1 billion for maritime direct lending fund by June
EnTrust Global is targeting $1 billion for a maritime direct lending fund, Blue Ocean Onshore Fund, and anticipates a final close in June

Intelsat triggers bankruptcy credit event
Intelsat Investments has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Americas Determinations Committee has ruled

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

Listed CLO fund rebounds in April with 5.7% gain
US and European CLO equity tranches brought in gains of 10% in April for the fund, US CLO debt 12.1%, ABS 0.6% and bank balance sheet transactions 0.3%

Illinois pension seeks distressed debt or opportunistic credit manager
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund is requesting proposals for opportunistic and distressed private credit fund managers and has at least $25 million to allocate

Two managers beat 70 for £900 million emerging market bond mandate
LGPS Central has selected two external managers for its £900 million Global Active Emerging Market Bond Fund

Sculptor doubles global credit exposure in master fund amid dislocation
Sculptor Capital Management has doubled its global credit exposure in its Master Fund during the covid-19 volatility, according to the firm’s Q1 earnings call

CSOs are hurting but will emerge stronger, say sources
It is unsurprising that bespoke synthetic tranches have suffered during the covid-19 crisis, as they are backed largely by real money investors that have gone outright long credit risk. But more noteworthy and reassuring, say sources, is that most have held firm in their positions and look set to stick with the asset class — in contrast to the 2008 global financial crisis exodus

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%

On-site due diligence rules pose fundraising challenge
Stipulations in some fund limited partner bylaws dictating strict due diligence could pose a challenge for asset managers, sources say

Private credit dangers lurk, but fear drives inflows
Fear of missing out is one reason institutional investors are allocating to private credit, but market partici­pants say that investors should err on the side of caution, despite the number of attractive opportunities

Base correlation tumbles as idiosyncratic risks emerge
The market-distorting power of government and central bank interventions has been easily observable in bond/CDS differentials during the covid-19 crisis — as noted in various Creditflux articles this past month. But an even more extreme reaction appeared in CDX index tranches on 9 April, when base correlation measures plummeted following the US Federal Reserve’s unveiling of a $2.3 trillion aid package

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

Correction: Orchard Liquid Credit Fund performance
In the May issue of the Creditflux magazine we incorrectly stated in our performance tables the year-to-date return for Orchard Liquid Credit Fund, which is up 10.66%

European credit converges further with US after White House stokes coronavirus dispute
The mood hangs heavy in credit markets as the week begins, with the US having ramped up its war of words with China over the origin of coronavirus and much of Europe returning from 1 May holidays to catch up on Friday's move wider

Apollo earmarks $20 billion for dislocation fundraising over 12 months
Apollo's returns for corporate credit, structured credit and direct origination in the first quarter were down 8.3%, 14.7% and 4.8%, respectively, but the firm is looking to launch various credit strategies, including capital solutions, dislocation strategies and distressed strategies, that it “expects to accumulate $20 billion over the next year”

GSO eyes $7 billion for credit opps fund and closes $4.8 billion European direct lending fund
GSO is eyeing a $7 billion target size for a new credit opportunites fund. The New York-based manager recently closed its second European direct lending fund, GSO Senior European Debt Fund II, at $4.8 billion

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

Mood lifts on stressed credits as European high yield leads rally
Some of the widest trading companies in European credit made a sharp move tighter on hopes of government support extending into high yield, as rallying momentum picked up this morning across the market before a US-led reversal

KKR deploys 10% of $2 billion coronavirus dislocation credit fund
KKR Credit has plans to launch a $2 billion dislocated corporate and asset backed credit fund to take advantage of coronavirus-induced volatility. And the New York-based manager has wasted no time swooping on opportunities after deploying $212 million by 9 April

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

Listed CLO fund reports 45% NAV fall in March
Marble Point Loan Financing suffered a 45% drop in net asset value total return in March, according to a portfolio update from the $158.4 million listed fund

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