100% pay-out on New Look CDS as physical bids fail to materialise
A credit event auction to settle CDS referencing New Look today resulted in a zero cent final price, meaning contracts paid out to protection buyers in full - the first time this has happened other than by a 'deemed auction' decision since 2012

New Look CDS auction sets 1.5 cents as initial market mid-point
A credit event auction to settle CDS referencing New Look today has produced an initial market midpoint of just 1.5 cents, in line with the low price at which bonds have been quoted

New Look CDS auction to have only one deliverable, says DC
An credit event auction tomorrow to settle CDS referencing UK retailer New Look will have only one deliverable obligation, following no challenges to the initial list

Trump tariffs and oil slip dent Europe vs US credit decompression trades
Underperformance of US credit derivative indices at the end of last week has created a trading entry point for those still convinced that Europe has more problems. But bearish factors continue to coalesce on both sides of the Atlantic

Credit traders' kickstand: nervous equilibrium gives way to weakness as earnings and tariffs weigh
Healthy fund inflows, European and US holidays, and a thinning primary market helped sustain credit spreads this week, but a weaker turn today shows this is a fragile equilibrium and company earnings misses are starting to be punished more severely

Robus lifts soft-close from credit fund after capitalising on late-2018 correction
The soft close for Robus Mid-Market Value Bond Fund has been in place since October 2017

Credit funds at a glance

Fund performance

Mizuho appoints US and European credit trading heads in leadership shake-up
The hires include a newly created CLO role, head of credit trading, and head of special situations and illiquid trading 

London pension fund appoints interim CIO
London Collective Investment Vehicle, the fund manager for the pooled investments of 32 London Local Authority Pension Funds, has appointed Michael Pratten as interim chief investment officer  

Supermarket owner Rallye triggers credit event and joins queue for settlement checkout
Rallye, the parent of French supermarket chain Casino, has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Determinations Committee for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has determined

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  

Credit traders' kickstand: grave times for UK banks and corps as May goes away
UK banks have been among the main underperformers in credit this week, with market sources noting that today’s notice of Prime Minister Theresa May’s intention to resign on 7 June increases the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. And UK 'zombie' companies appear to be forming a herd

Permira adds hire to start credit opportunities business
Permira Debt Managers is building out a unit in London to invest in special situations and credit opportunities and has hired a distressed and high yield specialist to help establish the business

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

Varde distressed credit MD departs in London
Varde Parters has lost a managing director from its London operations, according to market sources

Credit traders' kickstand: widening catalysts gather force with focus on financials
Credit markets are once again ending the week on a negative tone, having regained some posture over previous sessions following last week’s tariff-driven sell-off. Credit index spreads appear inclined to trade within a range, but potential catalysts for that range to shift wider outweigh any obvious reasons to return to the tight prints of last month

New Look triggers credit event with big pay-out likely for CDS
The Europe, Middle East & Africa Determinations Committee has ruled that New Look has triggered a failure-to-pay credit event

Mizuho’s credit trading head departs in London
Mizuho's head of credit trading has departed after just over a year, a spokesperson at the bank has confirmed.

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

Ellington hires business development head in London
Ellington Management Group has appointed Jonas Frantz to head up business development in Europe and the Middle East, according to market sources

Credit traders' kickstand: Trump gives Europe the ghoulies as single B spectres haunt CLOs
Trade tariff terrors and things that go triple C rated in the night are top of the list of items spooking credit market sentiment at the end of this week

Ice seeks consensus with credit risk analytics service
Intercontinental Exchange (Ice) has launched ICE Credit Risk, a suite of analytics it will provide in collaboration with financial risk assessment company Credit Benchmark

High beta's time to shine in next leg of rally, says BAML
High-beta credits have yet to reward expectations they would lead the market rally in 2019, but this is about to change, according to a research note by Bank of America Merrill Lynch

I still love to sit in front of computer screens to try and understand markets
Jochen Felsenheimer of Xaia Investment takes our credit quiz