Records tumble in fantastic February

SRTs aren’t exactly a new idea

Big managers hold steady in CLO boom
After a late surge, 2024 saw USD 588bn of new global issuance from 1,331 CLOs, as well as the launch of multiple managers. But the biggest players mostly held on to their high rankings

A profitable year for credit funds
An almost 18% rise ensured our CLO fund index was the best performer in 2024. But other credit indices werenʼt far behind as funds across the credit spectrum delivered strong returns

Banks predict record-breaking year ahead
Consensus figures generated from outlook reports by five banks suggest 2025 will be another strong year for CLO issuance. But last year, their estimates were well below the actual numbers

Slow and steady wins the day
It’s often thought CLO managers add value to their deals via high volume trading strategies. The data shows this can be true — but on average, top performing CLOs are less actively traded

Triple C assets and capital preservation
In the US and Europe, better performing CLOs tend to hold fewer triple C assets. But even so, a third of top performing CLOs in the US have more than 6% of their assets in the triple C bucket.

Static deals stand out in Europe
European CLO equity in redeemed deals has delivered excellent returns. But managers might be surprised to discover that static deals are the region’s stars

Taking stock after a long hot summer
As fall approaches, the global CLO and leveraged loan markets are in a strong position. But will records set in 2021 tumble?  We compare the numbers — and find out what the market thinks

CLO strategies outperform again
In 2023, our index of funds investing in CLO tranches and equity returned 22.9%. In the first six months of this year, the index reached 9.9%, as these funds again delivered outstanding results

Reset focus shifts to pre-COVID deals
As spreads tighten, managers are looking to reset CLOs that priced before the onset of the COVID pandemic — even if this slightly increases the deals’ weighted average cost of capital.

Full steam ahead in the US and Europe
We’re now six months into 2024, and according to our latest league tables, the CLO engine shows no sign of slowing down, as spreads grind tighter and resets get underway in Europe

European managers struggle to add alpha
Before the COVID pandemic, European CLOs comfortably outperformed the Morningstar European Euro-Denominated Loan Index. Since then, alpha has declined for many managers

Moving forward together
This year’s Creditflux London Women in CLOs event saw almost 100 participants gather for an evening of networking, cocktails and perfume-making at the Landmark Hotel

What a difference a year makes
Speakers at this year’s CLO Symposium were united in their optimism — they feel the CLO markets in the US and Europe are doing well, and that should continue for the rest of 2024

GoldenTree takes home the big prize
Our 16th annual awards saw the CLO community gather at London’s Landmark Hotel to recognise the best performing CLOs, CLO managers and CLO funds — and the global manager of the year

BofA: innovation and consistency
The first of our new series of CLO arranger profiles takes a look at Bank of America, the largest shop in the market, where one team covers CLO arranging, trading and financing, globally

CLOs grow from strength to strength
The first quarter of 2024 saw such extraordinary issuance across the global CLO market that it was enough to outpace the equally extraordinary amortisation occurring in older deals

Do defaults predict equity returns?
At first glance, recently redeemed European CLOs show some sort of correlation between final IRR and the number of defaults in their portfolio. But what other factors affect performance?

In September, the Fed said financial institutions could transfer risk to SPVs
The Fed’s reading of Basel 3.1 could double capital requirements — so it’s just as well it is softening on risk transfers.

How many CLOs will be reset?
Tightening liability spreads aren’t just driving record new CLO issuance this year — they’re also triggering a wave of resets and refinancings in the US, especially for broadly syndicated CLOs

CLO rankings: 2023 turns out OK
Last year may not have seen records in the primary CLO market, but it was a very solid performer with a strong finish. 

A strong year for CLO strategies
After the pain of 2022, credit fund managers must have been praying that 2023 turned out better. It did.

Banks predict steady year ahead
It’s the season for predictions and the CLO market is no exception, with all the banks having their say. We’ve rounded up their forecasts for new issuance and resets in the US and Europe

2023: a bumper year for CLO funds
It looks like 2023 will finish as a solid year for most credit funds, and an outstanding one for CLO funds. But funds pursuing corporate distressed strategies continued to struggle