M&A volume leap 20% to USD 1.38tn in first quarter of 2026
Even the Iran conflict has not arrested momentum among larger deals. A mammoth USD 122bn capital raise from OpenAI closed on the last day of the quarter, according to Mergermarket data

AI blockbuster deals surge as Middle East conflict test dealmaker confidence
Mergermarkets M&A Highlights 1Q26: Global M&A volume jumped 22% to the second highest start ever

EQT, Advent, Cinven embrace deal flexibility as hedge against Middle East chaos
ECM Pulse:Optionality trumps predictions in chasing LP returns; uncertainty dogs IPO prospects as bid-ask gap remains

EU insolvency law harmonisation campaign marches on with new directive
LEGAL ANALYSIS: European Parliament signs off new ‘harmonisation’ directive: Relates to five areas, including avoidance actions and ‘pre-packs’

Volatility spikes and deal spreads widen amid Middle East conflict in Europe
V-Stoxx increases to 24 from 20; Travel companies among worst hit

Schroders, InPost deals boost 2026 takeover pipeline by EUR 19bn
InPost agrees EUR 7.8bn deal with Advent, FedEx; modest premium for Schroders may open for rivals

PGIM boosts high-yield expertise with two new hires for Euro levfin team
Sunita Kara and Andre Klotz join as portfolio managers from Aviva Investors and Jefferies, respectively

JPMorgan credit research team pitches top trades at levfin conference, strategists recommend overweight BBs
Buy opportunities in AT1 debt, periphery banks, Ardagh Metal, Altice France, Ithaca; Sell ideas on Guala Closures, Nissan, Nomad Foods, Hapag Lloyd
 

Corporate default rates predicted to fall despite tariff uncertainty - S&P
Speculative-grade corporate default rates expected to fall on both sides of the Atlantic as trade tension uncertainty eases, but some concerns remain

Hayfin hires Man's former CLO PM for European high yield, loans research
Jason Late will serve as a co-portfolio manager for the European high yield and syndicated loan strategy

Volatility could cause credit markets to break this year – TCW’s Bryan Whalen
PODCAST: Investors aren’t being paid enough of a premium for the risks in US corporate credit, TCW’s chief investment officer of fixed income told Creditflux’s Lisa Lee on the latest ‘Credit Exchange’ podcast  

Expect wider credit spreads, compelling opportunities in CLOs – Bain Capital’s John Wright
PODCAST: Latest guest on the Credit Exchange podcast is "pretty excited" about CLO debt and expects spreads to widen

Credit hedge funds - December 2024
Credit hedge fund performance

Apollo picks up two hires from Bank of America
Investment bankers Tomasz Gruszka and Murad Khaled have joined Apollo and an affiliate from Bank of America

BNP Paribas announces negotiations to buy AXA IM
BNP Paribas said it entered exclusive talks to buy AXA's asset management unit and set-up a partership for EUR 5.1bn

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge fund performance

IACPM survey finds credit PMs still gloomy, but less so than last quarter
Respondents to the latest IACPM Credit Outlook Survey are still negative about future credit conditions, but less so than in previous surveys

AlbaCore expands with senior research hires
London-based AlbaCore Capital Group announced the expansion of its investment team last week, with the addition of a new Head of Research

Schroders Capital adds new global head of business development and product
Schroders Capital turned to ICG to source its newly-created role of global head of business development and product

Global corporate defaults on fastest pace since 2009 according to S&P
The number of corporate defaults has risen dramatically year-to-date, according to S&P Global Ratings, driven by a doubling of the rate of defaults in Europe

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge funds

Credit funds at a glance
Credit funds at a glance

European Union rolls out ELTIF 2.0 structure
The European Union’s latest regulations for its long-term investment funds — known as ELTIF 2.0 — went into effect on 10 January, ousting the old model to make it easier for both alternative investment managers and retail investors alike to tap into the market

Credit hedge funds
Credit hedge fund performance

Credit funds at a glance
Credit funds at a glance