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

Oil supply concerns grease CDS relative value trade
With credit spreads having begun 2020 circling post-crisis tight prints, there is not much room across the market for improvement and plenty of susceptibility to jitters. But at least one CDS index shows scope to narrow further and could form part of a relative value trade

Rude awakening for credit as US airstrike sends global shockwaves
It only took a day for the positive mood greeting financial markets in 2020 to turn nervous, with credit and equities faltering in early trading today after the US killed a top Iranian military official

Credit traders enter 2020 a world away from 2019's opening blues
CDS markets are showing what a difference a year makes, with indices beginning 2020 at post-crisis record or near record tights. And concerns such as Brexit or US-China (and lately UK-China) tensions are doing little to dampen the mood in today's buoyant trading session

MidOcean Credit co-founder leaves to head PE firm's credit expansion
Multi-strategy private equity firm Siguler Guff has poached a co-founder of MidOcean Credit Partners to lead the expansion of its credit platform

Deep dive trade is on, but single name risks still abound
High yield CDS is reversing its previous underperformance versus investment grade, reflecting an investor shift down the quality spectrum in cash bonds.

Fund performance: Long-short funds rule in October as CLO funds struggle
A round-up of fund performance

CLOs at a glance: innovations arrive as year draws to close

Goldman Sachs AM explores interval structure for credit fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has begun marketing for an interval fund primarily focused on credit investments

No 2020 recession, cyclical bonds will outperform and CLOs won't crash, says BNP Paribas
There will not be a recession in 2020 and investors should stay long credit with the expectation that high yield cyclical and non-financial borrowers will outperform in a bullish market, BNP Paribas strategists have confidently predicted

Astor and Armory team up for US mid-market credit interval fund
Astor Investment Management has teamed up with Armory Capital to launch a middle-market credit interval fund, according to US regulatory filings

MSCI makes ESG ratings public for over 2,800 companies
MSCI Research has made ESG ratings of over 2,800 companies publicly available, according to an announcement by the firm, hoping to encourage open discussion between investors and companies and drive greater transparency

Arizona pension to deploy up to $700 million a year in private credit
Arizona Public Safety Employee System is looking to deploy $600-700 million in private credit strategies per year in order to meet its target allocation, according to board documents seen by Creditflux.

Azimut hires ex-Dyal official as it aims to buy minority equity in asset managers
Azimut will initially focus on acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset managers with under $3 billion AUM – including private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate firms

Analysts have interpreted the IG credit risk premium in various ways — but the point is to harvest it
Selling CDS protection could be the most effective way of capturing excess premiums in investment grade credit

Corporate credit performance expected to catch up with financial borrowers as European quantitative easing begins
The return of European Central Bank quantitative easing on 30 October portends a catch up this month of corporate credit performance with other parts of the market, such as financial borrowers, say strategists.

Over 1,200 sign up to CDS protocol
Plans to improve CDS market integrity have received a boost, with the International Swaps & Derivatives Association drawing a stronger than expected response to its protocol aimed at stamping out narrowly tailored credit events (NTCEs).

Fund performance
A round-up of fund performance click here.

Ropes & Gray names leveraged finance partners in New York
Law firm Ropes & Gray has named 16 new partners across its offices – including several credit-related promotions

Credit traders' kickstand: QE and dispersion sever 'haves' from 'have nots'
The underperformance of European high yield credit has picked up this week, on rising concerns about dispersion in funding access

Traders face Monday deadline for manufactured credit event protocol
Interested parties have until Monday to sign up to a protocol aimed at stamping out narrowly tailored credit events from the CDS market, with the International Swaps & Derivatives Association having given extensions on the original deadline

Diverging views emerge over performance of ESG investing, RBC survey reveals
Investors which incorporate ESG principles are convinced it adds value, but those who do not are more uncertain, according to a survey by RBC Global Asset Management 

Reality bites after credit traders abandon Brexit hedges
Rediscovered faith in the ability of the UK and European Union to reach an agreement before the 31 October Brexit deadline has helped fuel a surge tighter of credit spreads, led by UK financial names. But that break with caution faces an immediate reality check today, following admissions a lot more work is needed

Credit traders' kickstand: curves in focus as market overcomes mid-week wobble
Credit markets have had a more positive week overall than last, and that was given a couple of extra twists today by UK/European Union and US/China talks. But this masks weakness mid-week and, following a brief steepening of curves, improvement is mainly exhibited by financial sector names