Buy and hold isn’t only option for CLO equity
New US CLO equity is being more regularly flipped into b-wics. Figures suggest that equity pieces of 2017 and 2018 US deals made up 22% of the b-wic market over the past four quarters

Ares ups its target for US senior direct lending growth to $4.7 billion
Following $5 billion of inflows into global direct lending in the third quarter, Ares has upped the target for its US direct lending strategy 

August: fund performance
CLO spreads jumped wider in August, but funds that invest in these assets have been able to outperform

September: credit funds at a glance
White Oak Global Advisors held a $2.1 billion final close on a new direct lending fund, while Phil Raciti's move from CVC Credit Partners to Halcyon Capital Management was one of the biggest moves in the credit industry

CRE CLOs poised to grow by as much as 40%
The CRE CLO market will grow in 2019 over 2018 as cross-over CLO investors get more comfortable with the simpler, shorter duration structure, said speakers at IMN’s ABS East conference in Miami

Mid market CLOs should outperform regular CLOs in the next downturn, conference hears
Middle market CLO managers are bullish on their prospects when the credit cycle does eventually turn, according to panelists at IMN’s ABS East conference in Miami this week

Wide CLO pricing need not be a drag
Established managers can price CLO liabilities at attractive levels, but we find that CLOs saddled with higher financing costs have nevertheless been among the market’s outstanding performers

Weighted average life divides CLO industry
Creditflux’s second CLO Census reveals stark differences of opinion on weighted average life and par-flush for US CLOs. But there is a clear consensus on which bank is best at CLO execution

Loan market finds balance as spreads edge wider
New issue volumes were robust in July with relatively few loan refinancings getting done. Loan portfolio managers say the loan market is finally balanced, having been in favour of borrowers

There is an opportunity for investors able to look beyond the typical fixed income asset classes
Real money investors need to be aware of the merits of investment grade CLO tranches over similarly rated corporate debt, says our columnist Thomas Majewski

Swedish pension fund's credit portfolio recovers with strong 2018 results
Andra AP-Fonden (AP2), the SEK 352.4 billion ($38.7 billion) state-owned pension fund, generated 5.6% absolute returns from non-domestic credit investments for the first half of 2018

US pension fund's credit performance stumbles with 2.3% 12-month return
Maryland State and Retirement & Pension System, the $51.9 billion public pension fund, generated 2.31% returns from its credit portfolio for the fiscal year to June 30, down from 10% the year before

Manager plays its cards right as top-performing hedge fund grows in size
A US credit hedge fund manager has grown the size of its credit vehicle amid a strong first half of the year

Goldman's BDC receives 95% shareholder approval for leverage increase
Following recent regulatory changes, the $1.23 billion Goldman Sachs BDC has received a 95% shareholder approval to raise its debt to equity ratio from a one-to-one to a two-to-one ratio

Credit drives strong returns for five of the largest asset managers in the business
Carlyle is close to hitting its ambitious fundraising target; direct lending has been kind to Ares; and Och-Ziff has decided to shed its US CLO risk retention stakes after exiting its financing agreements

Private credit helps drive returns for Alaska pension fund
The $64.9 billion sovereign wealth fund has generated 8.79% returns from private credit for the fiscal year ended 30 June

Past returns: LMCG and Trump
In Creditflux five years ago we reported on LMCG Investments (then known as Serenitas Capital) generating strong returns after spinning out of Bank America Merrill Lynch.

Points up front: BlueGreen OneTreeHill United, the CLO team
Inspired by Serhan Seçmen’s keynote address at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium in May, we’ve come up with a World XI of CLO managers.

They said it: “Occam’s razor, the marshmallow test and the Pareto principle – what do they have in common?”
The simplest solution is often the best solution, delayed gratification and the 80/20 rule; these can all be used in the assessment of CLO manager performance

Experienced CSAM holds off boutiques to win biggest prize
Credit Suisse Asset Management became a two-time winner of the Creditflux Manager of the Year award last month after picking up the 2018 trophy in front of a packed house at London’s Landmark Hotel on 9 May

CSAM wins Creditflux Manager of the Year award for a second time
From two guys and a Bloomberg to being named the best manager in the credit industry: Credit Suisse Asset Management wins big at the 2018 Creditflux Manager Awards

Credit boutiques shine bright in Morningstar’s list
Morningstar’s five-star rating has recently been bestowed on a number of boutique credit managers

CLO performance is faltering – a loans shock would help
Early CLO 2.0s benefited from wide loan spreads. Today, that arbitrage opportunity has closed and returns have gradually diminished – yet there are now similarities to the market in 2007

CLOs aren’t as similar as you might think
Almost 70% of some managers’ portfolios overlap with those of their competitors. But the average overlap is around 35% so there’s plenty of room for managers to express their preferred strategies