Points up front: “Thanks for the loan.” “What loan?”
Direct lending sounds simple enough; borrowers have direct engagement with a small set of lenders and negotiate a private agreement for the long-haul. Sounds easy enough, except when the lender claims to have no idea about the deal you’ve just announced.

Hedge against coronavirus, says JP Morgan, naming 40 most exposed credits
With novel coronavirus cases rising at what looks to be an exponential rate, JP Morgan strategists have proposed a high yield hedge to address the rising threat to European credit spreads and listed 40 borrowers they think are most exposed to impact

European financials outperform corporates as coronavirus spreads
Financial CDS is outperforming corporate credit today, and Europe outperforming the US, as the market jumps wider on rising alarm at the spread of China’s novel coronavirus

Credit event protocol goes into force with 60 extra sign-ups
The International Swaps & Derivatives Association is going live today with a protocol aimed at stamping out narrowly tailored credit events from the CDS market, having signed up 1,358 entities

Ares' new Asian credit affiliate wins $400 million from New York pension
New York State Common Retirement Fund has committed $400 million to distressed and special situations investments in the Asia-Pacific region  

Ares buys majority stake in Asian credit manager SSG
Ares has bought a majority, controlling interest in SSG Capital Management, an Asian alternative asset manager focused on private credit and special situations 

Portfolio managers wary of US default rates, IACPM survey reveals
Portfolio managers are more pessimistic about North American corporate defaults in the next 12 months than other global regions, according to the latest survey by the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers

ResponsAbility collects $151 million for impact private debt securitisation fund
Facebook, the European Investment Bank and the government of Luxembourg are just some of the investment sources for the $151 million clean energy impact debt fund. The fund is structured in a similar way to a CLO – with responsAbility offering investors various risk tranches 

Pimco launches listed multi-sector global credit fund
Known as Pimco Tactical Income Fund, the fund will invest in a range of global credit strategies and will list on the New York Stock Exchange

Four days left to join narrowly tailored credit event protocol
Those market participants yet to sign up to the International Swaps & Derivatives Association’s protocol on narrowly tailored credit events have until Friday to do so

BlueBay adds senior portfolio manager as it targets EM fund launches
BlueBay Asset Management has hired for a newly created senior portfolio manager job 

EFA holds first close on Asian private credit fund
EFA Group has held a first close on its Asian private credit fund, according to an announcement by the firm

Portfolio Advisors hits first close as it targets $1.5 billion for secondaries fund
Private markets specialist Portfolio Advisors has completed a first close on its latest secondaries fund at the end of December 2019, having raised between $600m to $700m, a source told Creditflux  

Rude awakening for credit as US airstrike sends global shockwaves
It only took a day for the positive mood greeting financial markets in 2020 to turn nervous, with credit and equities faltering in early trading today after the US killed a top Iranian military official

Värde launches $2.5 billion global credit fund
Värde Partners has raised $2.47 billion for a new global credit fund, according to an announcement today

SSG collects $2.7 billion for Asian special situations fund
SSG Capital Management has raised $2.7 billion for its fifth Asia Pacific-focused credit and special situations strategy, SSG Capital Partners V, surpassing the strategy's original $1.5 billion target size

Big firms better prepped for Libor change and less operationally exposed, survey finds
The largest financial organisations are further ahead with their Libor transition efforts, and are likelier to move into 2020 with 'greater confidence' than small and mid-size firms, according to a market survey

No 2020 recession, cyclical bonds will outperform and CLOs won't crash, says BNP Paribas
There will not be a recession in 2020 and investors should stay long credit with the expectation that high yield cyclical and non-financial borrowers will outperform in a bullish market, BNP Paribas strategists have confidently predicted

Non-dealers overtake banks as biggest holders of diminishing CDS pie
The share of the CDS market held by non-dealer financial institutions has surpassed that of dealers for the first time, according to latest Bank for International Settlements data. But firms are scrapping over a smaller pie, as outstanding single name CDS continues to fall

US pension fund hires fixed income manager
Howard County Retirement Plans has appointed Payden & Rygel to oversee a $40 million absolute-return fixed income portfolio, according to documents seen by Creditflux  

UK pension partnership launches maiden private credit offering at £581 million
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership (BCPP) is set to commit £581 million in private credit, as part of its maiden offering in this asset class  

Linklaters adds debt restructuring specialist in Asia
Linklaters has poached a partner from DLA Piper who focuses on debt restructuring and special situations

45% of insurers look to increase private debt allocations, finds Natixis IM survey
Private debt allocations are expected to grow for 45% of insurers over the next three years, according to a recent survey by Natixis Investment Management. But regulation and internal restrictions are the biggest challenges to greater adoption of private markets allocation

Norinchukin's CLO portfolio decreases for first time in years
Japanese CLO heavyweight Norinchukin posted its financial statements yesterday, where it reported a 1.42% drop from its statements at the end of the second quarter

Arizona pension to deploy up to $700 million a year in private credit
Arizona Public Safety Employee System is looking to deploy $600-700 million in private credit strategies per year in order to meet its target allocation, according to board documents seen by Creditflux.