Ticked off: European loan docs turn aggressive
Documentation for European loans tightened in the immediate aftermath of the March sell-off, with lender-friendly terms around additional debt baskets, dividend levels and acquisition thresholds. But aggressive terms are creeping back into the market

European CLO portfolio overlap increases by 3%: S&P
European CLO portfolio overlap for new issue deals since mid-March has increased to 37.73%, according to a recent report by S&P, around 3% higher than the average of 36% for all European CLOs rated by S&P

Beneath the triple C: CLOs get their sneakers on as retailers run into bankruptcy
July added further relief to CLO portfolios with the slowest rate of downgrades to triple C since March. US CLO portfolios faced downgrades of $2.18 billion to triple C while European portfolios faced just €59.13 million of such downgrades

The Last Tranche with Guggenheim's Duffy: CLOs will pay more for loans than today’s index prices
Marking the long-awaited return of the Last Tranche podcast, Creditflux's Hugh Minch talks to Adrian Duffy, head of European corporate credit at Guggenheim Investments in Dublin

Cut! Cineworld’s cancelled merger boosts CLO OCs
Investors in Cineworld’s $1.9 billion term loan breathed a sigh of relief in July after the UK cinema chain cancelled its merger with Canadian firm Cineplex, with holders repaid in full, according to market sources

Ostrum's US CLO plan takes a turn after head of structured credit leaves
An experienced CLO PM has left Ostrum after just one year

Beneath the triple C: downgrades hold steady as Travelport loses its luggage
For the second month in a row downgrades to triple C steadied, with just under $9 billion of CLO loans falling to this rating across 34 corporate borrowers

Revolutionary ESG-linked loan wins CLO support
European loan investors welcomed a novel concept in June when Carlyle Group-backed Logoplaste issued the first term loan with pricing linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors

MeDirect confirms corp credit step-back, as CLO team seeks spin-off
MeDirect has confirmed it will reduce corporate lending to focus on retail clients, following a question by Creditflux on the firm's plans to spin off its CLO-managing specialist credit team

Beneath the triple C: downgrade rate slows as $8 billion of CLO loans tumble
May offered some respite to CLO portfolios as corporate downgrades to triple C were reduced heavily - affecting just $6.67 billion of US CLO paper and €1.09 billion of European CLO portfolios

CLOs look at flipping frequency switch as corporates hold cash
European CLOs could be set to flick their ‘frequency switch mechanisms’ as a growing number of corporations go from paying quarterly to semi-annual coupons

CLOs face trading restrictions as bankruptcies mount
CLO managers could be handcuffed in impending bankruptcies if tranche downgrades continue and restricted trading periods kick in

Libor fall weighs heavily on loan and CLO portfolios
Libor floors are set to return to prominence after three-month rates tumbled to 0.38% by 18 May, returning the loan market’s base rate to its lowest level since the oil and gas crisis of 2014-16

Europe’s newcomers find ways to stand out
Last year’s new European CLO managers needed to provide something different for investors. In general, they’ve succeeded, with Capital Four having one of the smallest overlap figures in our data

Beneath the triple C: April showers send buckets overboard
Downgrade waves rocked the CLO market in April as Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded 135 corporate borrowers to triple C or below, from ratings above that level. The downgrades put CLOs in rough waters as $41.6 billion of such loans are prevalent in US CLOs while €5.64 are moored in European CLO portfolios – affecting 5.92% of the US market and 4.37% of the European market

Credit markets adjust to stay-at-home rules
Lockdown orders across the world have forced the loan and CLO markets to modernise certain industry practices at speed, leading to speculation that some of the emergency measures adopted could become permanent, according to market participants

Who’s got the moves Europe: CLO managers enjoy climb of Everest
The European S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan index enjoyed a strong month in April as it rose from 83 of par on 1 April to 89.2 by the end of the month. The index closed at 89.4 on 4 May to start the week 

'Nochu covenant' leaves big CLO managers in a trading bind
Stipulations pushed into CLOs by the world’s largest CLO investor Norinchukin to limit its exposure to covenant-lite loans are causing headaches for managers on its approved list hoping to use the dislocation to build par  

Credit pickers need luck to avoid OC trap

CLO market braces for another wave of loan downgrades
A wave of negative rating actions swept the leveraged loan and CLO market in April. “Companies will look to secure incremental capital which will lead to further rating pressure,” says Philip Raciti, portfolio manager and head of US performing credit at Bardin Hill Investment Partners

Four managers eye breakthrough new issue European CLOs
The European primary CLO market is showing signs of revival with four managers eyeing deals

Beneath the triple C: $31.6 billion of CLO credits feel downgrade pain
March madness took a toll on CLOs as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s downgraded 4.25% of the portfolios in the US and 1.84% in Europe to triple C or below in just one month (some of these were already triple C rated, only to fall further).

CLO warehouses trigger draw stops as loan market tanks
CLO warehouses are being put on ice due to ‘draw stop’ triggers, which have come into play as loan prices plunge.

We’ve survived before, we can do so again
$7.8 billion of CLO collateral, split evenly between the US and Europe, is in the loans that have fallen fastest in the past month. But short term CLO pain will bring opportunities for building par

CLO managers favour tech, cable and healthcare as loan downgrade fears dominate, finds JP Morgan
Picking safe sectors to buy in the coronavirus crisis is a tough call, but CLO managers variously favour technology, cable/satellite and healthcare, according to a JP Morgan survey. There is much more consensus on dumping autos, energy, gaming/lodging/leisure and retail