Texas pension fund ups commitment to CQS opportunities fund
The $29.7 million pension fund mandated $50 million to CQS Directional Opportunities Feeder Fund on 1 June

At the heart of CLO doc negotiations
As investors up and down the capital structure shared their views on fictional US and European CLOs, we discovered that par flushes must be worded carefully or they could be a deal-breaker
 

Higher leverage is on the horizon - but, for now, take in the MFN sunsets
It’s clear from our analysis of most favoured nation protections and sunsets that strong demand for loans is enabling borrowers to insist on advantageous terms even as they increase leverage

Talk turns towards five-year deals as bespokes flourish
There is growing appetite for longer-dated synthetic CDOs as credit curves steepen and competition among dealers steps up, but short mezz positions have also been working

US manager plans debut 2.0 European CLO, six years after selling 1.0 deals
A large US CLO manager is warehousing its first 2.0 CLO in Europe

Real estate debt takes off as funds raise billions
Octopus's Ludo Mackenzie on why real estate debt is attractive: “In absolute terms, property yields are close to where they were in 2007, which would imply that the asset class is fully priced. In relative terms, however, compare commercial property yields to the risk-free rate and there is a healthy margin of around 3.5%.”  

CLO spreads disperse as Japanese investors reallocate to triple As at fiscal year end
The past two months saw backup on CLO liability pricing on both sides of the Atlantic for the first time in years, this coming at the time of year when Japanese banks plan their CLO allocations

Term structure is being developed for floating rate benchmark SOFR, says LSTA
The Secured Overnight Financing Rate, known as SOFR, is being developed into a term structure

There are no perfect hedges for CLOs
As the CLO market gets hotter and hotter, investors are seeking hedges against the inevitable downturn. But although there are a wide range of options, there is no consensus on which is best
 

CLO resets should be used to renegotiate, conference hears
A short-dated reset looks very much like a refinancing, but it also gives managers and investors the all-important opportunity to renogotiate terms

They said it: “Occam’s razor, the marshmallow test and the Pareto principle – what do they have in common?”
The simplest solution is often the best solution, delayed gratification and the 80/20 rule; these can all be used in the assessment of CLO manager performance

Past returns: KKR CLO was sign of things to come
Five years ago in Creditflux, we reported on KKR Credit pricing a US CLO that complied with European risk retention rules, in what was believed to be one of the first deals of its kind

Points up front: World Cup simulation shows models don’t work
England as fourth favourites? Pull the other one

Points up front: Catholic taste does not include credit derivatives
Is the pope a credit picker? It appears as though he is 

Investors gather to talk teams and tactics
With US CLO risk retention recently ruled off-side, attendees at the Creditflux Symposium were expecting a number of small, nimble managers to enter the field of play as the year progresses

Experienced CSAM holds off boutiques to win biggest prize
Credit Suisse Asset Management became a two-time winner of the Creditflux Manager of the Year award last month after picking up the 2018 trophy in front of a packed house at London’s Landmark Hotel on 9 May

Hermes launches £185 million unconstrained credit fund
London-based Hermes Investment Management has launched a new Ucits-compliant unconstrained credit fund - which will include pricing ESG risks

CLO b-wic line-up: over $300 million of senior CLO paper goes on the block
Senior notes dominate the secondary market today as $306.5 million worth of triple A notes are up for grabs

Credit Agricole hires head of US credit trading and head of ABS syndicate
Credit Agricole has strengthened its US credit platform by hiring Anatoly Nakum as head of credit trading for the Americas, and Beth Starr as head of ABS syndicate for the same region

CIFC selects Deutsche Bank to arrange first European CLO
CIFC Asset Management has mandated Deutsche Bank with warehousing its first ever CLO in Europe

65% of distressed managers plan new funds over the next year, survey finds
Distressed debt is proving to be a popular strategy for managers, with 65% intending to launch a distressed strategy in the next 12 months, according to a report by Creditflux’s sister publication Debtwire and law firm Ropes & Gray.     

Direct lending growth challenges loan administrators, finds private credit survey
Nine out of 10 private credit managers face challenges when administering loans, according to an Alternative Credit Council report

Ostrum and Natixis unite to launch real asset private debt platform
The new real asset private debt arm will target €6 billion AUM by 2020 and focus on three sectors: real estate, infrastructure and aviation