Ares raises $3 billion special situations fund ahead of huge European direct lending launch
Ares Management has witnessed “accelerated fundraising” for its special situations fund, which it has closed at around $3 billion, according to the firm’s earnings calls. The firm also launched its fifth European direct lending fund this week, which Ares expects could be “the largest private comingled fund in its history”

Credit Rendezvous: recovery begins, but is it U, V or even W?
Investing in credit is not as easy as ABC. The coronavirus crisis has crushed valuations and although most assets will eventually pull to par, no one is sure how the recovery will pan out

If history repeats itself, the best CLO play could be to hold equities
After a futile scramble for liquidity, LyondellBasel filed for bankruptcy in the early morning hours of 6 January 2009. Bad luck for CLO managers that were holding the loan? Not at all

Frontier bankruptcy dials up pressure for 90 CLOs
Nine CLO managers hold $217 million of Frontier Communications’ debt across 90 CLOs, as the telecommunications company filed for Chapter 11 protection in the US Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York

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).

US pension delays restructuring fixed income portfolio over coronavirus concerns
Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association has delayed plans to restructure its fixed income portfolio due to coronavirus concerns, according to board documentation

European CLO managers with big bond buckets do best, finds Bank of America
European CLO managers that trade in the secondary market and hold a higher percentage of fixed rate assets are likely to outperform their peers, Bank of America finds in latest research

Banco Sabadell joins forces with Amundi
Banco Sabadell and Amundi have announced a long-term strategic partnership, in a bid to boost fund business in Spain  

Schroders appoints deputy head for credit business
Schroders has hired to the newly-created position of deputy head of credit

UK charities join forces on hunt for ESG managers
Three UK based charities are joining forces in the hunt for a manager to oversee a £32 million ($41.6 million) portfolio with a strong focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria as well as impact investing  

UK pension eyes managers as part of £1 billion-plus credit expansion
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is seeking investment managers for single credit asset class mandates,

Credit CIO Finch leaves GLG
Simon Finch has parted ways with Man GLG, according to market sources, ending an 18-month stay at the firm where he served as chief investment officer for credit

ESG education top priority for 42% of institutional investors, CFA Society finds
Global Institutional investors are increasingly adopting ESG into their investment decision making – but education on the topic and quality ESG data are needed to help them progress, according to a survey conducted by CFA Society in New York

Points up front: Best to price your deals between 12 and 6am
The latest addition to JP Morgan’s index suite — which aims to quantify the impact of US president Donald Trump’s tweets on the financial markets — has been so popular it has landed its own Wikipedia entry

US credit managers make ESG breakthrough after taking a first step via UNPRI
Incorporating a framework for investing in companies based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is a challenge that US credit managers are accepting in growing numbers

Kayne Anderson targets direct lending and liquid credit mix for new fund
Kayne Anderson is looking to launch a closed-ended fund focused on direct lending, liquid credit and energy and infrastructure equity investments

GSO adds $10 billion to inflows with direct lending, structured credit and energy
Blackstone grew its credit assets under management to $139.3 billion, up 13% on a year ago, according to the firm's second quarter earnings release

Calpers misses returns target despite fixed income outperformance
California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) has missed its annual investment target despite strong performance from its fixed income portfolio, which was its top performer  

Ontario pension selects new president and CEO

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has appointed Jo Taylor as its new president and chief executive officer, effective 1 January  

Border to Coast pension seeks exposure to UK investment grade credit
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is set to begin a manager selection process, seeking UK investment grade credit and global multi-asset credit funds  

Deutsche Bank rehires Nordic sales head after senior official moves to buy side
The bank is bringing in a Barclays official to replace him, in a slightly more broader role, say market sources

New investments drive Canada Pension Plan’s credit returns to 8.7%
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)’s credit portfolio has delivered good returns during the 2019 fiscal year, despite the market volatility, according to the institution’s annual financial report  

DC accepts New Look failure-to-pay credit event question
The Europe, Middle East and Africa Determinations Committee has accepted a request to rule on whether New Look has triggered a failure-to-pay credit event

Tribeca launches Asian credit fund with new hire
The Australian manager has recieved $50 million from a family office

New manager Resco lands ex-credit head to found advisory board
Resco Asset Management, a London based asset manager set up last year, has appointed the first of an anticipated three advisory board members