ESG growth in CLOs has momentum in 2021, say JPM strategists
ESG investing in securitised products such as CLOs have 'momentum for growth in 2021' despite very slow volume growth and lack of progress in standardised scoring over the past year, say JP Morgan strategists in a research note

Europe resumes rally in US absence with Italian spreads hitting new records
Caution about a possible Draghi bubble looks to be a rare commodity, as Italy sovereign and bank spreads are once again among the biggest improvers in a buoyant start to the week

It's all relative: CLO spreads explore record tights as credit indices hit impasse
CLO spreads are grinding to ever tighter levels, despite a flattish week for credit in which corporate credit indices have ended up more or less unchanged

Ares holds first close of junior direct lending fund as it eyes 'dozens more' $1 billion-plus funds
Ares outlined several credit fundraising initiatives in its fourth quarter earnings call - among which were a first close of its latest junior direct lending fund, upping the target for its credit special situations fund by over $1 billion, as well as new product launches including an evergreen alternative credit fund

Draghi support keeps Italy in driving seat as markets slow
A cautious tone has re-entered the credit market ahead of the long US weekend, with spreads edging wider along with softening stocks and oil prices. But some Italian credits are bucking the trend

Compression trades grind into gear as spreads narrow
Compression between high yield and investment grade credit looks to be finally gaining traction in February, having been identified by some strategists at the start of the year as a key 2021 theme

Bain and Pantheon form $320 million private credit JV to invest in Europe and Australia
Bain Capital Specialty Finance, a publicly traded business development managed by Bain, has formed a joint venture with Pantheon’s private credit business to invest across Europe and Australia

UK fund manager launches £125 million global sustainable credit fund
The manager says it aims to allow investors to gain exposure to global fixed income markets in a more sustainable way

Curve steepeners gain ground with inflation in focus
Credit performance this week has done little for market-directional trading strategies, but one area gaining traction beneath headline numbers is the steepening of curves

ESG was factor when firing managers for 42% of investors, survey reveals
The latest survey from investment consultant Bfinance shows the coronavirus pandemic increased focus on ESG issues for over a third of investors - and ESG is important when selecting external asset managers

Carlyle holds first close on opportunistic credit fund amid 2020 'record fundraising'
Carlyle Group has held an initial closing on its second opportunistic credit fund amid a record credit fundraising year for the firm

Apollo credit assets rocket 50% with anticipated fundraising hike after Black investigation
Apollo Global Management's credit assets rocketed 52% over 2020 to $329 billion - and the firm predicts third-party fundraising to “build significantly” in the first quarter, following the conclusion of Dechert's investigation into chief executive officer Leon Black

Credit returns to year-opening levels as bulls score five out five
Credit markets are on course for their fifth straight day of improvement, with CDS index spreads not only undoing last week's volatile move wider but regaining the tight levels at which they began the year

It's all relative: CLOs are lagging no more, as Carlyle deal drags market tighter
“CLOs are lagging” has been a much repeated refrain over the last nine months. But Carlyle Group has this week produced a US CLO that has dragged spreads to their tightest point in three years so that, rather than comparing CLOs to pre-covid levels, they should be assessed against early 2018

Credit trends wider as it makes bad first compression in 2021
With credit spreads starting the year close to the absolute tights they reached in early 2020, investor emphasis is heavily on relative value. But so far the most signposted of these trading strategies are failing to perform, while market-neutral opportunities have greatly diminished

High yield credits play catch up as central banks put brakes on bull run
High yield single names gained attention on Thursday, as financial markets took a breather after three days of improvement to digest UK and China central bank policy signals

M&G lays out ESG focus with £5 billion pledge to 'sustainable private assets'
M&G is allocating £5 billion ($6.8 billion) from its £136 billion with-profits fund into businesses using a model which places emphasis on ESG, sustainability and impact investing

Biden buzz highlight's credit's growing pains
Stimulus and a “reflationary window” are the dominant themes of early 2021, particularly in the US, and they will favour growth assets over credit in the near term, say investors.

Credit funds at a glance (February 2021)
A round-up of fundraising and people moves

Fund performance: CLO funds keep up momentum as Napier Park finishes top
2020 ended with funds in our CLOs category taking the top few spots

Ucits at a glance: Advent ends calendar year on top
Ucits ended 2020 on the rise as 89% of funds achieved positive returns in December

Credit hedge funds (February 2021)
Monthly credit hedge fund tables

Napier Park fund ends 2020 on top with massive 29.5% gain
Napier Park Global Capital stormed to the top of our credit hedge fund rankings for 2020, registering a gain of 29.49% through Napier Park Eton Fund.

Italian credits lead race tighter as Super Mario eyes new mission
Italian sovereign, bank and corporate spreads are in the spotlight today, after the country's president Sergio Mattarella asked former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi to lead a government in the wake of Giuseppe Conte's coalition collapse

Credit fundraising: January proves anything but dry for manager inflows
After a tough and unpredictable year, January may have been seen by many as an opportunity for a fresh start. But for seven managers it meant holding final closes on funds, while three undertook first closes and one a fund launch