FS Investment BDC's assets shrink for fifth year running
FS Investment Corporation, an FS Investments business development company (BDC), failed to grow its assets again in 2017 – but insists its recently announced partnership with KKR will allow it to grow stockholder value

Carlyle’s direct lending BDC hits $2 billion, buoyed by inflows to credit fund
Carlyle’s Group’s direct lending business development company, TCG BDC, has announced a net increase in assets of $27 million for the most recent quarter

WisdomTree reaps benefits of "transformative" 2017 with strong earnings release
The ETF specialist revealed an 18.4% year-on-year AUM growth and fixed income inflows in its latest earnings presentation

Och-Ziff’s multi-strategy funds continue to bleed assets
The embattled hedge fund firm’s AUM is down 14% year-on-year, and its multi-strategy assets – which sat at $31.8 million at the end of 2013 – were down to $13.7 billion in December 2017

Natixis AM reports $1 trillion AUM in 2017 results
Paris-headquartered Natixis has reported solid growth, and an end-of-2017 AUM of $1 trillion, for its asset and wealth management unit

AUM drops but Oaktree dubs 2017 a "strong" year
Alternative investment specialist Oaktree Capital Management has reported a slight decrease in assets under management for the year of 2017 – but the Los Angeles-based firm’s chief executive described the year as a “strong” one for the company

US pension cuts BlueBay emerging market fund despite strong 2017 returns
The State Universities Retirement System of Illinois has terminated BlueBay Asset Management as an emerging market debt manager

KKR considers switching from partnership to corporation
Global investment firm KKR is considering a change to its legal structure, with the firm’s senior management and board of directors currently evaluating whether to convert from a partnership to a corporation, or C-corp

Lazard announces 2017 earnings and considers C Corporation structure
Bermuda-headquartered Lazard is considering a ‘C Corporation’ structure, under which the corporation would be taxed separately from its owners

Hildene makes huge 2017 gains after wringing every drop from 1.0 CLOs
For the most part, 1.0 CLOs are on their last legs with very few pre-crisis deals outstanding – but one fund manager has made hugely profitable trades in this area

ICG increases fundraising goal as direct lending funds near full deployment
London-based Intermediate Capital Group has increased its fundraising target to €6 billion per year on a rolling three-year basis

So much capital, so few deals: specialists fear for direct lending
No covenants, increasing leverage ratios and an outlook for rising rates means that direct lending is not all it's cracked up to be, according to several credit market participants

Hurdle rates topple as direct lenders look to boost fees
Some direct lending managers are lowering their hurdle rates in a bid to increase their fees

Direct lending head says market is overheating
A 2018 outlook report by KKR suggests now’s the time to reduce exposure to direct lending. This comes as another part of KKR goes on a direct lending fundraising spree

MidOcean nets $87.6 million in 12 months for credit opps fund
MidOcean Partners has raised more than $87 million in a year for its first Credit Opportunity IDF fund, regulatory filings indicate

SSGA reports healthy income and AUM boost in Q4 2017
In its earnings release yesterday, Boston-headquartered State Street Global Advisors reported a rise in net income to $687 million for fourth quarter 2017, up from $648 a year earlier – a 19.1% increase

US mid-market earnings grow 12.8% in Q4 2017, up from 4.9% in Q3
Earnings in the US middle market grew by 12.8% in fourth quarter 2017, while overall revenue grew by 11.5% during September and October 2017, according to a Golub report

Morgan Stanley's fixed income sales dramatically dip in Q4 earnings report
Morgan Stanley's sales and trading net revenues took a dip in 2017, with fixed income net revenues in particular down 31% compared to 2016 figures

Goldman earnings reveal 18% decrease in institutional client services revenue
The Goldman Sachs group has reported mixed results in its latest earnings release, revealing a dip in institutional client services revenue in 2017 compared to the prior year, but overall net revenues of $32 billion for 2017

BlackRock's AUM increases 22% in a year as ETFs contribute to growth
BlackRock’s assets under management have surpassed $6.2 trillion following “a record year” for the firm in 2017, company officials said in a recent earnings call

Los Angeles pension fund looks to renew US loans relationship with Bain
A $15.7 billion Los Angeles pension fund is looking to renew its contract with Bain Capital Credit, according to investment committee board documentation

Credit markets ignore geopolitical exposures, suggests Guggenheim
Global credit spreads have spent 2017 tightening, but markets may be ignoring certain risks, according to Anne Walsh, chief investment officer for Guggenheim’s fixed income unit

Private debt performance shines in institutional investing study
A quarter of institutional investors say private debt outperformed their expectations over 12 months to 28 August 2017

BlueBay fund loses over $50 million in 18 months
BlueBay’s Credit Alpha Long Short fund strategy has shrunk by over $50 million since May 2016, Creditflux understands