Credit hedge funds (August 2020)
Monthly credit hedge fund tables

Don’t be a hero: managers opt to go market-neutral
There’s yet more volatility in store later this year — that’s the consensus according to credit portfolio managers that have spoken to Creditflux. What they are unsure about is the scale and direction of this movement, which is leading them to prune their portfolios with an emphasis on market-neutral tactics

Rampant technicals push cash and CDS in different directions
Central bank interventions, primary market issuance and high yield defaults have conspired to create major distortions in credit performance, which sources say are ripe for opportunistic trading.

They said it: "Imagine a garden party and all of a sudden a big wasp shows up"
On Creditflux’s US CLO webinar last month, Napier Park’s head of US CLO investments Serhan Secmen described the March sell-off as a garden party

Banks and high yield corps lead charge as results prompt European rally
High yield corporate credit is today's outperforming part of the market as European credit rallies back from its recent wides, as the latest round of earnings proves stronger than many had expected

Aon wraps up fundraising for $350 million opportunistic credit fund
The fund will target global investments across public corporate and structured credit, stressed credit and real estate debt

Prime launches global fund of niche credit funds
Prime Capital is preparing a new fund of niche credit funds in a strategy the firm has dubbed Liquid Alternative Credit Fund, and the Frankfurt-based manager will launch the fund with $30 million capital from three seed investors

GSO names additional portfolio manager for three listed credit funds
GSO Capital Partners has added Robert Post as a portfolio manager to three listed credit funds, effective 1 August

Legg Mason teams with affiliate Western for credit fund
Legg Mason has teamed up with its affiliate Western Asset Management to launch a closed-ended fund to invest in a diversified portfolio of fixed income securities, according to fund registration filed by the pair yesterday

Wirecard CDS settles above single digits
Wirecard CDS just about bucked the recent trend of defaulting credits settling in single digits at auction

High yield traders take stock amid Crossover/HY compression
A convergence trade is underway this week in the high yield credit market, with US index CDX HY reaching its nearest level versus European counterpart iTraxx Crossover since the start of June

Europcar bonds and CDS take a spin ahead of earnings
Europcar Mobility Group is having a car-crash trading session in bonds and CDS today ahead of its expected earnings report

Seven dealers sign up for Wirecard CDS auction
An auction tomorrow to settle Wirecard CDS will have just seven participating dealers - three fewer than has been customary in other recent credit event settlements

Travel firms lead sell-off on second wave fears
Travel related companies are in focus for European credit investors at the start of the week, following the UK government's decision to re-impose a 14-day quarantine on people arriving from Spain

LP round up: Oregon eyes $1.8 billion into structured credit
Institutional investors have earmarked over $6 billion to credit funds over the past two weeks

UK pension seeks managers for £1.5 billion multi-asset credit fund
Brunel Pension Partnership is looking for asset managers to oversee a £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) multi-asset credit fund

First movers in focus for CDS as market grinds to new tights
First is the operative word in corporate credit movers this week, with UK transport firm Firstgroup leading European CDS improvers while FirstEnergy Corp heads the worst performers in the US

DC sets Wirecard CDS auction date, obligations and settlement terms
The Determinations Committee for Europe, Middle East and Africa has set a date to settle CDS contracts referencing German digital payments company Wirecard

Europe hits post-covid tights on hard-fought recovery package deal
European credit spreads are hitting their tightest prints since the coronavirus outbreak began, with European Union leaders having agreed a €750 billion recovery package following protracted talks

Former JP Morgan credit correlation head launches $200 million fund
The former head of credit correlation trading at JP Morgan has launched a global credit fund management business with $200 million of assets, according to market sources

Wirecard CDS auction set to have two deliverables
Two notes look set to be deliverable into an auction to settle Wirecard CDS, according to an initial list published by the EMEA Determinations Committee

Shot in the arm for US credit as vaccine results prompt outperformance
US credit markets have gained a chance to catch up with European improvement this week, after positive results from a coronavirus vaccine test prompted US outperformance, particularly in high yield

Credit Rendezvous: record fiscal stimulus provides pick-me-up
Credit markets had a mini bounce-back in the second quarter as central banks poured cash into the economy. But there is great uncertainty about the effects of a second wave of coronavirus. As part of our quarterly report on credit - the Credit Rendezvous - Creditflux spoke to experts across 12 segments of the credit market

Atlantia enters fast lane in market rally
Atlantia, the Italian infrastructure company, is one of today's biggest movers in the credit market, on reports of progress in its wrangle with the Italian government over a toll road concession as well as plans to sell this business arm

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