Anchorage lands first bond-flex CLO after Volcker u-turn
Anchorage Capital Group has priced its first new issue bond-flex CLO of 2020

ArrowMark completes purchase of StoneCastle's asset manager
ArrowMark Partners has completed the acquisition of financial debt specialist StoneCastle Asset Management

New York pension fund puts emphasis on sustainability with $800m credit allocation
The New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF) has put $800 million into credit with a strong sustainability focus, hiring Avenue, Calvert and Nuveen

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

Whiting Petroleum CDS gaps wider as it engages debt advisors
Credit event concerns have taken CDX HY constituent Whiting Petroleum to a recent wide print, after the energy exploration firm’s management held talks with advisors to find ways to remedy its capital structure

JP Morgan AM launches first European multi-factor fixed income ETF
JP Morgan Asset Management has launched an inaugural fixed income multi-factor exchange traded fund in Europe

Sprint Comms CDS races tighter on T-Mobile merger nod
Sprint Communications, a telco constituent of US high yield index CDX HY, was by far the biggest mover in CDS yesterday, after the Federal Court in New York approved the company’s proposed merger with T-Mobile US

TUI enjoys 100bp two-week getaway
TUI is today’s biggest mover among constituents of CDS index iTraxx Crossover, after the Hannover headquartered travel company said it recorded its highest ever booking volumes in January – seizing market share after the collapse of UK rival Thomas Cook

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

Citi reallocates credit index trading as veteran moves to buy side
A senior Citi credit official has expanded his remit following the departure of a veteran credit index trader

California pension looks to cut liquid credit allocations
Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association will likely cut back on liquid credit and completely remove hedge fund allocations in 2020.. But the pension is optimistic about core bonds – and may include it as a new asset class

Los Angeles pension shakes up EM and high yield debt portfolios
Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System has shortlisted four managers for its emerging market debt mandate, while looking for one-year contract extension with its US high yield income manager, according to documents seen by Creditflux  

Pennsylvania pension terminates two fixed income manager mandates
South-eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will no longer use Alliance Bernstein and Brandywine Global Investment Management as managers, according to documents seen by Creditflux  

Pimco plans to outperform come rain or shine with $4.5bn all-weather fund
Pimco has become the latest manager to fashion a flexible, all weather credit fund that invests across public and private markets, geographies and capital structures. The Newport Beach-based manager is hoping to raise $3 billion for the strategy. With half a turn of leverage, it could have up to $4.5 billion to deploy.

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

Credit funds at a glance

You need a balanced portfolio that’s ready for calculated risk taking — so consider a barbell approach
Investors can’t afford to be too conservative as they prepare for the end of the cycle

Michigan pension appoints Shenkman Capital for HY
Retirement System of the City of Detroit has appointed Shenkman Capital Management to oversee a short duration high yield portfolio, according to documents seen by Creditflux.  

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

New York pensions seek climate change managers
The Comptroller of the City of New York is looking to appoint fixed income managers that invest in climate change solutions, according to a recent notice of search.  

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

Volcker amendments will be good for CLO equity and bad for CLO debt, says Wells Fargo
Proposed changes to the Volcker rule announced last week by the Federal Reserve, which would allow CLO managers to hold 5% bond buckets, are positive for CLO equity and ‘marginally negative’ for CLO debtholders, according to a research paper from Wells Fargo

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

High yield pioneer Shenkman joins roster of bond-flex CLO issuers
Romark Credit Advisors, the CLO manager linked with Shenkman Capital, has joined the exclusive but growing group of bond-flex CLO managers