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

Managers predict skill will win out
We asked managers to predict the year ahead across a range of credit strategies. Overall, they had a positive outlook. By Grace Jennings-Edquist

US pensions look beyond equities
US pension funds dramatically lowered their allocations to equity in the decade ending in 2016 as they diversified into illiquid and alternative assets. By Grace Jennings-Edquist

Who predicted $145 billion of issuance?
That went better than expected: US risk retention came in, and $145 billion of global new issuance later, it’s clear that CLOs aren’t disappearing. By Tanvi Gupta and Sam Robinson

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

Citi finds that triple A investors should look at short-dated CLO resets over refis
Citi's credit research team has put together a report assessing how US CLO triple A tranches are pricing relative to their inherent refinancing risk.

US league tables: CBAM tops US CLO rankings after meteoric rise
Just over a year ago, New York-based CBAM Partners commenced operations amid much fanfare. Fast forward 12 months and the asset manager has delivered on its promise, with Creditflux data showing that the firm was the largest CLO issuer of 2017

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

Investors crystallise gains through liquidations
Refinancings and resets have dominated 2017, but CLO equity investors have found other ways to make strong returns

Fitch rating outlook: CLO spread compression to continue in 2018
Spreads on new broadly syndicated loan (BSL) CLO notes rated AAA down to BBB will be further squeezed in 2018

Engineering and construction: diversification leads to deepening debt
In trying to build a more global roster of clients, some construction companies may have dug a hole for themselves

Inflation is seeping in and leverage is rising like helium
The Fed is keeping close tabs on any signs of inflation in consumer products. But there are signs of an inflationary bubble in the credit market

Bids reach 87 cents for equity in re-issued CSAM CLO
A control equity stake in a 2017 CSAM CLO - which traces its roots back to 2007 -  was up for sale via a b-wic late last month

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

Changes to the US tax code could negatively impact CLOs
The amendments, which recently passed a vote in the US Senate, could have a negative impact on the CLO industry, according to Moody's