We’re drifting apart
Everyone’s issuing US CLOs these days and it is tempting to believe the crowd of managers is blending into one. However, overall portfolio overlap has dropped to 37.7% across 2021 CLOs  

Market participants split over biggest risk to CLOs: Creditflux US CLO Summit
There are potential threats to the CLO market from all angles, but during a lively opening panel at Creditflux’s US CLO Summit on Tuesday – the first CLO conference to be held in New York since the pandemic – speakers responded to a poll showing 67% of audience members felt inflation/rising interest rates was the biggest hazard

Spac pricing hints at Sound Point's growth ambitions in loan market
Sound Point Acquisition Corp has priced a $225 million IPO, signalling that credit asset manager Sound Point Capital Management is looking to expand its platform

Ucits at a glance: 2022 opens shakily but with a familiar lead
Ucits funds moved slowly into 2022 as 59% made negative returns in January

Packaging company Schur is painful for European CLOs
The dramatic fall in loans taken out by Austrian flexible plastic packaging manufacturer Schur Flexibles has shocked CLO managers. The firm is hiring PJT Partners and Allen & Overy ahead of a potential restructuring

Fund performance: Groundhog Day as 2021 leaders start strong
CLO funds once again claim the most top performing spots as seven out of 10 funds belong to the category

Banks join fight against slow loan settlement in mini-win for CLOs
Several developments are in the works to tackle painfully slow loan settlement times in Europe, with Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Clifford Chance and the Loan Market Association among the firms looking to drive change

LP round up: two CLO funds win support as Cali pensions home in on private credit
Two investors revealed allocations to European and US CLO funds, private credit allocations increases and private credit consultant searches get underway

"Boardrooms are being hustled by activist shareholders using ESG data to drive economic value"
Pledges have been made and the Race to Zero has begun. Firms need to put their plans in place

Three-month term Sofr spikes ahead of rate hikes to bridge gap to Libor
Three-month term Sofr rates have shot up in the last few days with sources saying March interest rate hikes are being fully priced in. Three-month Sofr hit 17.11 basis points on Friday having been at 14.52bp on Tuesday and just 9.11bp at the start of the year.

Värde promotes three credit specialists to partner
Värde Partners has promoted Jim Dunbar, Aneek Mamik and Carlos Sanz Esteve to partner

US pensions assign $1.5 billion to 16 credit managers in December
US public pensions rounded off 2021 by gifting credit managers around $1.5 billion in commitments, according to documents seen by Creditflux

A fresh approach to loss distribution
Considering how cash balances change over time, loss distribution models can look very different to conventional thinking. So is your CLO’s pricing based on incorrect assumptions?  

"In 2022, being slow will not be such a bad thing"
St David losing its place as the UK’s smallest city would be a travesty. Replacing Libor might be worse

Eagle Point hits $300 million hard cap on BDC-lending fund
Eagle Point Credit Management says it has held a $300 million final close on its Defensive Income Fund, hitting its hard cap and exceeding its original $250 million target

Brookfield hires industry veteran as public securities CIO
Brookfield Asset Management has hired a long-serving credit and equity market professional as chief investment officer for its public securities group

Everyone’s ramping

Still plenty more fish in the triple C

Fitch cuts US leveraged loan default rate projection
US leveraged loan default rate is anticipated to be just 1.5% by year-end 2022, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. That’s down from the rating agencies’ original 2.5%-3.5% projection

Alcentra makes leadership changes as European CLO head Rainbow goes part-time
Alcentra has announced changes to its leadership team with co-chief investment officer of liquid credit Graham Rainbow deciding to take on a part-time role at the firm

Intriva adds to asset management build up with senior hire
Intriva Capital, a mid-market lender and alternative investment firm, has hired a senior asset manager from HIG Capital

"In some ways, CLOs resemble a quirky, cottage industry more than a trillion-dollar market"
CLO volumes outstanding have passed $1 trillion, but index omission and private placements are holding us back

Liquidations emerge as speed bump to $1 trillion CLO market
CLOs are now a $1 trillion global industry, but liquidations are picking up and could hamper growth — as well as providing welcome relief to an engine that’s running somewhat hot. CLOs are now a $1 trillion global industry, but liquidations are picking up and could hamper growth — as well as providing welcome relief to an engine that’s running somewhat hot.

Ucits at a glance: mid market fund leaps into top four
The majority of Ucits funds end Q2 on a high note as 76% of those in our database recorded positive performance in June

US CLO portfolio manager set to join fast-growing Redding Ridge
A US CLO portfolio manager is set to join Redding Ridge Asset Management next month, taking the firm's CLO PM roster to three