Europe rallies hard after CDX IG closes tighter for first time since June
Volatility in credit remains heightened due to the coronavirus outbreak, but movement has become two-way, with European CDS indices surging tighter today after US index CDX IG ended yesterday’s session tighter than iTraxx Europe for the first time in nine months

Credit reels back to January 2019 levels as coronavirus impact spreads
A more positive opening for European credit today proved short-lived, as coronavirus developments caused the market to reverse its modest improvement early on to careen back to some of the widest levels in over a year

Credit traders’ kickstand: a year comes undone in a week as world faces coronavirus moment of truth
As the coronavirus outbreak reaches a 'decisive point', according to the World Health Organisation, one of most volatile weeks in recent memory has hauled credit spreads from their post-financial crisis tights to much wider levels last seen in the first half of 2019 and, in the case of emerging markets, more than a year ago.

Bloodbath in primary as credit bleeds months of profit
Some primary market bond issues that investors lapped up in the heady weeks of January are being put to the sword as February ends, while the coronavirus-led downturn in credit has squandered several months of gains in the CDS market

CDS takes brunt of coronavirus panic sell-off
European credit derivatives are among the hardest hit assets today amid a broad sell-off, as the fast spread of the coronavirus into Italy, Korea and Iran has brought a reappraisal of the impact it could have on financial markets

Axa terminates $14 billion fixed income mandate with AB as it takes assets in-house
Axa has terminated a $14 billion taxable-fixed income investment mandate with AB

Crossover and senior financials lead widening on coronavirus uptick
iTraxx Senior Financial and Crossover credits are taking the brunt of a move wider today, along with slumping stock markets, as fears about the spread of novel coronavirus took another turn upwards

Davidson Kempner hires ex-Barclays convertibles research head
DavidsonKempner, the investment management firm, has hired the former head of European and Asian convertibles research at Barclays to manage convertible bonds in its London office

Elfa partners with LMA to develop standardised ESG disclosure topics
The European Leveraged Finance Association, in partnership with the Loan Market Association, has launched an engagement programme to develop a standard set of material ESG disclosure topics on which issuers and borrowers can be expected to report publicly

UK financials push wider following Irish election surprise
UK and Italian financials are the weakest part of the credit market today, against an otherwise flattish backdrop, with the Irish general election result adding to concerns about how Brexit negotiations will fare this year

Credit Rendezvous: the outlook in 2020 across a dozen segments of the credit market
Welcome to the Credit Rendezvous, the first instalment of a regular feature published by Creditflux that tracks credit market dynamics in a dozen segments from investment grade, liquid loans, CLOs and CSOs all the way through to distressed debt. We view this as the meeting point for credit specialists across strategies to share their perspectives

Correlation rise stokes mezz rally but adds to CSO woes
Below the calm surface of the credit market, correlation has been churning and creating dislocations rich with reward for index tranche traders but complicating bespoke issuance, say sources.

Fund performance: Presents under the tree as CLO funds perform

Ucits at a glance: Ucits end strong year on a high

Credit funds at a glance

BTIG hires strategist to cover US and European financials
Nandana Shenoy has joined BTIG in New York to work as a strategist covering US and European financials, according to an announcement by the brokerage

Italian financials put Europe's best foot forward as US outperforms
Financial credits are once again leading the way as the market continues this week’s sharp return rally

Credit traders' kickstand: full reversal for Crossover as coronavirus spreads
European high yield CDS index iTraxx Crossver is ending the week back at around 230bp, in effect undoing all its improvement since the start of December

Skew trading discord as single name CDS snub index rally
The credit market’s reappraisal of risk today, following from Monday’s widening on coronavirus fears, comes with a marked dislocation between the performance of CDS indices and their underlying constituents

European financials outperform corporates as coronavirus spreads
Financial CDS is outperforming corporate credit today, and Europe outperforming the US, as the market jumps wider on rising alarm at the spread of China’s novel coronavirus

Pimco launches listed multi-sector global credit fund
Known as Pimco Tactical Income Fund, the fund will invest in a range of global credit strategies and will list on the New York Stock Exchange

Credit traders’ kickstand: primary market flood gives basis for relative value
A deluge of investment grade bond supply in the first two weeks of the year has weighed on the spread basis between the cash market and CDS, leaving opportunities for traders who believe this dislocation should correct over the coming weeks

Renault hits bump in flat markets
The future of Nissan’s relationship with Renault has been in question since last year. But the likelihood of the companies parting ways has increased since Nissan’s former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who faced charges of financial crimes, fled from Japan to Lebanon in December

Credit traders' kickstand: convergence trades rewarded as financials outperform
Compression is the watchword in credit at the start of the year, with the market’s navigation of post-crisis tight prints bringing an outperformance of financial names over corporate borrowers and US over European indices

This is not just wider: M&S stands apart as CDS picks new tights
As credit spreads head back into post-crisis record tight territory amid a softening of tone between the US and Iran, retailer Marks & Spencer is bucking the rally having issued a profit warning today