Willis Towers Watson fund exchange hires new US head in New York
Willis Towers Watson’s Asset Management Exchange (AMX), an institutional asset management marketplace, has appointed a new US head

SSGA reports healthy income and AUM boost in Q4 2017
In its earnings release yesterday, Boston-headquartered State Street Global Advisors reported a rise in net income to $687 million for fourth quarter 2017, up from $648 a year earlier – a 19.1% increase

Oak Hill appoints sole head of European credit as ex-partner takes on new role
One of Oak Hill Advisors’ most senior staffers has stepped into a senior advisory role

Spanish boutique launches its first Ucits credit fund
Madrid-based Arcano Asset Management has launched its first Ucits credit fund, citing demand from Ucits investors for credit fund investment opportunities based on floating assets and with low interest rate risk

Alcentra hires former BlackRock US loan and CLO chief
Alcentra has announced the appointment of Leland Hart as managing director and head of US loans and high yield

Debt managers spot opportunity as Australia’s banks face inquiry
Australia’s government announced a long-anticipated royal commission into the nation’s financial services sector on 30 November – and a credit market expert says the move could be good news for debt market participants

Multi-affiliate fund management firm names senior hire in Melbourne
Australasia-focused Channel Capital, a multi-affiliate house of boutique funds management business, has named a senior hire to lead its newest Australian office

Rothschild plans to raise up to €500 million for its next credit fund
Fresh from launching Oberon III last week, a market source says Rothschild is planning its follow-up credit fund

Shrinking spread cushions prove hard for CLOs
 Falling loan spreads are placing ever tighter constraints on CLO managers’ choice of investments just as the loan supply itself is declining

CSAM closes unit it launched to take minority stakes in hedge fund managers
Credit Suisse Asset Management is unwinding Anteil Capital Partners, the private equity unit it set up to take minority stakes in hedge fund firms, according to a market source

Payday: Investors go for broke on regulatory bet
New regulations could seriously hamper US payday lenders – but bond holders are betting the rules won’t be enacted

CLO-savvy insurance company hires two for top credit investment roles
An insurance company, which has made a name for itself in supporting CLO managers with risk retention capital, has made a pair of big hires to its credit investment business

Hartford-based Newfleet adds head of business development to its team
Newfleet Asset Management has brought in William Irvine as a senior managing director and head of its institutional business development platform

Natixis looks to strengthen euro CLO platform as head of origination departs
The head of European CLOs and loan fund financing at Natixis is stepping away from the industry. But this has not deterred Natixis, which is implementing plans for growth in CLOs

Macquarie hire signals push into European credit fund financing
Macquarie has signalled a push into credit fund financing in Europe by hiring a senior official involved in this activity 

KVK launches opportunistic hedge fund to target unloved CLO assets
Funds that live by a rigid set of guidelines (such as CLOs) are being targeted as a source of assets by opportunistic managers

Leading fund: Lupus Alpha CLO Opportunity Notes I
Single-B CLO trades boost Lupus Alpha asset Management

Credit manager wins $200 million mandate from Texas pension fund
A west coast asset manager will be responsible for a separate account which will invest opportunistically across the credit market

BlueMountain hires fund distribution specialist from Paulson
BlueMountain Capital Management has poached Claudio Macchetto from Paulson and assigned him to the newly created position of head of platform distribution

Octagon plans its first 40 Act credit fund with 50% bucket for CLOs
Octagon Credit Investors is working on what could become one of the first closed-end fund listings by an alternative credit manager in recent years

Fees on the line as CLO investors fight back over ramp-up failings
CLO managers globally are being chastised for failing to deliver on their model portfolios.

CLOs dodged recent loan defaults, according to Wells Fargo
CLO exposure to three recent US loan defaults has been minimal, according to Wells Fargo research

Loan total return swaps make their way to Europe following US success
Total return swaps have become a popular way to finance portfolios of US leveraged loans in recent years. And now the product may be about to make it big in Europe too.

Investing ethically is worth it
Managers could see less volatile returns as a result of their increasing adoption of ESG-friendly portfolios; meanwhile direct lending is spreading across Europe