Octaura appoints new CFO as it prepares for next growth phase
The electronic trading platform named former JPMorgan Chase managing director Cristina Kim as its new Chief Financial Officer

Prepayment headwinds should diminish after CLO purchase reduction – Apollo
The firm also said that it is preaching risk reduction after previously noting on its last earnings call that CLO spreads had tightened to unsustainable levels

Laura Coady takes the helm of Blackstone's global CLOs
Coady, who will also serve as head of liquid credit, steps into the role as the firm’s former head of capital formation, Jane Lee departs

First Brands and Tricolor show due diligence matters – Crescent President Chris Wright
PODCAST: There are lots of mixed signals currently in the market, which is creating uncertainty, according to Chris Wright, president of Crescent Capital Group, on the latest episode of Credit Exchange with Lisa Lee

CLO manager rankings by AUM – Q3 2025
Blackstone, Carlyle and Apollo continue to lead the way in Creditflux's latest quarterly CLO manager rankings by global AUM, while BlackRock's acquisition of HPS has catapaulted it into the ranks of the top five managers globally

ABF increases the lending toolkit – Apollo co-head of asset-backed finance Bret Leas
PODCAST: Bret Leas, co-head of asset-backed finance at Apollo Global Management, says asset-backed financing has contributed to a significant widening of the financing toolkit, on the latest edition of the Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee

New York State Common Retirement Fund commits USD 200m to Oak Hill's CLO fund
The pension fund has committed the funds to OHA CLO Equity Fund III, which will target investments in North America and Europe

Rob Zable returns to CLOs with global role at Guggenheim
EXCLUSIVE: Blackstone’s former global head of liquid credit strategies will now lead the New York-based firm’s CLO and liquid loan effort

Further lawyer moves predicted as competition for legal CLO talent intensifies

EXCLUSIVE: Shortage of talent amongst legal CLO specialists has fuelled speculation of more moves unless law firms prioritise staff retention

Blackstone raises USD 1.6bn for new high-yield ABF strategy
The alternative asset management giant is targeting USD 4bn for its new high yield, private-asset-based finance fund

Steve Cohen’s Point72 looking to enter the CLO business
EXCLUSIVE: The alternative investment firm is eyeing the CLO space, as the market experiences a boom in issuance and newcomers

Tikehau surpasses target on private credit secondaries fundraise
EXCLUSIVE: The latest fund, which has yet to close, has already racked up more than USD 750m

Corporate Europe kicks on with ECM, M&A plans as US market fears grow
Best year for European corporate equity capital markets and M&A since 2021, but storm clouds forming in US AI valuations and private credit

Expect more corporations to default – JPMorgan head of global credit financing Jake Pollack
“The idea that default rates will go up over time is not particularly difficult to get to,” says Jake Pollack, head of global credit financing and North America credit trading at JPMorgan, on the latest Credit Exchange podcast with Lisa Lee

Private credit's public pivot – crisis play or permanent shift?
Participants see model evolving from crisis response to structural strategy, as pricing gaps, disclosure rules and mindset barriers still hold asset class back

Monthly defaults driven by bankruptcies for first time in two years – S&P Global
Five of the eight defaults recorded in September resulted from bankruptcy filings, with three coming from the US, according to a new research report

US Trustee seeks examiner in First Brands bankruptcy, citing USD 2.3bn of missing funds and ‘malfeasance’
The US Trustee has called First Brands' internal investigation insufficient due to the scope of the allegations, while factoring provider Raistone is also seeking an examiner, citing the need for an impartial investigation

Orrick’s CLO coup stuns market, Cadwalader reels
While the departure of David Quirolo and colleagues from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft was not unexpected, the scale and speed of the move has sent shockwaves through the US and European credit markets

After fall of First Brands, investors point to signs of trouble stretching back years
When First Brands attempted to tap markets in August this year to issue USD 6bn in debt, it marketed an attractive financial picture with net first lien leverage of just 1.9x, based on EBITDA of USD 2bn in the first quarter of 2025. By late September, the US auto parts company had filed for bankruptcy

Reset frenzy set to ease — for now
The majority of deals from 2022 and 2033 that could be reset have been, so activity is likely to slow. But 2024 was a busy year for issuance and deals from then may bring a new surge in 2026

Venture debt lenders gear up for growth
Lending to venture capital-backed companies is hitting an all-time high in the US and Europe, with AI, enterprise software, fintech, sustainability and biotech among the busiest sectors

Psychology was a factor in managers’ reluctance to sell out of First Brands
We may overvalue what we already hold due to an emotional attachment

Markets are flipping their forecasts —from recession to overheating
There’s cause for worry as the Federal Reserve cuts into a booming economy

After eight years of Creditflux columns, Thomas Majewski looks back at the factors that have most impacted CLO returns
Fighting to be in the winning group in an LME is a skill managers must perfect

Fund performance – August 2025
Arena takes turn in the lead as mix of funds make top 10