Credit Rendezvous: record fiscal stimulus provides pick-me-up
Credit markets had a mini bounce-back in the second quarter as central banks poured cash into the economy. But there is great uncertainty about the effects of a second wave of coronavirus. As part of our quarterly report on credit - the Credit Rendezvous - Creditflux spoke to experts across 12 segments of the credit market

LP round up: managers keep fundraising hopes high as GSO targets $7.5 billion for mezz offering
Institutional investors allocated $1.6 billion into credit this week, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Creditflux announces finalists for Manager of the Year award
Ahead of the virtual awards ceremony on 15 July Creditflux is thrilled to announce the four finalists for the prestigious Manager of the Year category.

SkyBridge generates best returns since inception with 75% credit exposure
SkyBridge Capital, the fund of hedge funds manager run by ex-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, claims its Skybridge G II Fund has generated the best monthly and quarterly returns since inception. It will also cut its 25% tender offer frequency from quarterly to semi-annual

Permira holds €3.48 billion final close on fourth direct lending fund
Permira Debt Managers has collected €3.48 billion for its fourth direct lending strategy, marking the fund’s final close on 31 March

Golding holds first close for private debt vehicle
Munich-headquartered fund-of-funds manager Golding Capital Partners has held a first close on almost €200 million for its private debt fund Golding Private Debt 2020

Apollo joins forces with Mubadala for big direct lending deals
Apollo Global Management has launched a ‘large scale direct lending’ platform, which it says is anchored by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company

Canadian pension Imco outlines two-year $6 billion credit plans
The Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (Imco) has a range of credit strategies in its sights as it seeks to deploy $6 billion in the next two years as part of the build out of a global credit platform, according to officials at the company

Värde targets $1 billion for inaugural dedicated credit dislocation fund
Värde is seeking to raise $1 billion for its dislocation and distressed debt fund, according to an investor presentation seen by Creditflux. The firm is targeting a first close this month

LP round up: Pimco gets the Disco started as distressed managers win allocations
Insitutional investors allocated just over $1 billion to credit funds last week, according to board documents seen by Creditflux, with special situation funds from Farallon, Pimco and SSG taking the bulk of these commitments

Argentina rallies sharply as DC sets credit event auction date
An auction to settle Argentina sovereign CDS will take place next week, the Americas Determinations Committee has said

BNP Paribas unit holds final close on special opportunities fund of funds
BNP Paribas Capital Partners has held a final close on its European special opportunities fund of debt funds

Patrimonium launches two private debt funds
The Swiss-based direct lender its targeting  €800 million for its second co-investment fund with Credit Suisse and has developed a new credit opportunities strategy

Fund performance: CLO tranches move up
April returns managed a partial bounce back after a tumultuous March. 82% of funds listed in the Creditflux database made positive returns, showing at least small signs of recovery after 90% of all funds listed posted negative returns in March

Distressed debt managers eye CLOs' low single B loans
Opportunistic credit managers have been witnessing a heavier flow of triple C-rated assets emitting from CLOs since March, but they're finding lower single Bs to be a fresh source of deal flow

Owl Rock hires from Oaktree to build opportunistic credit platform
Owl Rock Capital has built out a new opportunistic credit investing division, adding that “current market conditions make it especially attractive and relevant today.” 

Apollo collects $1.75 billion for dislocation fund in two months
Apollo Global Management has taken eight weeks to raise $1.75 billion for a dislocation credit fund, Apollo Accord Fund III B

Candian pension allocates $250 million to dislocation credit fund
Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (Imco) has allocated $250 million to a dislocation credit fund managed by Apollo Global Management

Magnetar wins $400 million for illiquid credit mandate
Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association has allocated $400 million to Illinois-based Magnetar Financial at its 13 May board of investment meeting, according to recently released minutes

Private credit wins investor as Maryland pension introduces 5% allocation
Howard County Retirement has introduced a new bucket to the private credit asset class, reducing its core bond and hedge fund exposure to facilitate this measure, according to board documents seen by Creditflux

Alcentra's 'significant personnel changes' lead pension to terminate private credit contract
Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System has plans to rescind and terminate its private credit contract with Alcentra "based on significant and unexpected turnover of senior personnel”, according to documents seen by Creditflux. The pension is instead looking to redeploy commitments to Crescent Capital

Metropolitan launches fund and finds PE sponsors 'more amenable to non-sponsored terms'
Metropolitan Partners has closed an onshore direct lending fund at $240 million. It focuses on non-sponsored companies and has not made an investment in a sponsored deal for three years. But the firm sees an increasing number of sponsored situations arising from the covid-19 disruption

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”

Florida pension allocates $600 million to three credit managers
Florida State Board of Administration has awarded $600 million to three credit managers in the first quarter, according to a board update seen by Creditflux

Apollo earmarks $20 billion for dislocation fundraising over 12 months
Apollo's returns for corporate credit, structured credit and direct origination in the first quarter were down 8.3%, 14.7% and 4.8%, respectively, but the firm is looking to launch various credit strategies, including capital solutions, dislocation strategies and distressed strategies, that it “expects to accumulate $20 billion over the next year”