New funds move in as tranche trades take off
Synthetic structured credit funds are proving popular with investors amid a spike in index tranche trading

Swedish fund nears public listing after big gains on CLO and tranche trades
Stockholm-based Ymer SC is moving forward with plans to list its structured credit fund on the Nordic Growth Market exchange in Sweden

Credit Rendezvous: record fiscal stimulus provides pick-me-up
Credit markets had a mini bounce-back in the second quarter as central banks poured cash into the economy. But there is great uncertainty about the effects of a second wave of coronavirus. As part of our quarterly report on credit - the Credit Rendezvous - Creditflux spoke to experts across 12 segments of the credit market

Fund performance: CLO funds keep up the momentum for second month running
May returns have been led by continued momentum from CLO funds. In the last month, funds that invest in CLO notes in some capacity have made up 90% of our top 10, while 97% of funds listed generated positive returns - an improvement of 15% on last month's figures.

Ucits at a glance: Ucits recover lost ground
The foot has come off the gas for many funds - 57% of funds did not break the 2% return barrier.

US and Europe diverge as loan trading bands emerge on the continent
Europe and the US are on different courses with credit indices having drifted apart over the past month, say trading sources. Europe is expected to suffer fewer defaults to the extent that "it’s getting quite difficult for borrowers to default”, as one source put it. But the US has "higher growth potential due to its more dynamic economy"

Algebris leads monthly returns in new world matrix
Algebris Macro Credit's return submission for May was among the best non-CLO/ABS fund performers out of those Creditflux tracks, adding to a strong turnaround for the strategy

There will surely be jewels in the high yield dung heap, but the risk-reward is more compelling in IG
Whatever the long-term effects of the pandemic, one thing stays the same: IG looks attractive

Basis and capital structure strategies zing for Xaia as market anomalies multiply
April was another challenging month for most funds. But some managers were able to take advantage of relative value opportunities and growing investor appetite for this form of investment strategy

US and Europe diverge on credit spreads and more
US and European corporate credit performance has diverged since cities went into lockdown in March, with Europe tending to do better. But the CLO market gives a different picture, with 17 US transactions pricing to four in Europe since 1 April, and with tighter investment grade spreads

Index equity tranches show resilience in face of default spike
Lower credit index volatility in May refocused investor minds on idiosyncratic risk, with some give-up by previously outperforming equity tranches

Points up front: We knew it, Jon Snow
When Tripp Smith, the co-founder of GSO Capital Partners, launched asset manager Iron Park Capital Partners a year ago we guessed he might like TV series Game of Thrones

Default cluster brings warning for recoveries and operations
The pace at which credit event auctions stacked up in May sent investors a strong warning to review default and recovery expectations, as well as to ensure operational readiness after years of benign markets

Fund performance: CLO tranches move up
April returns managed a partial bounce back after a tumultuous March. 82% of funds listed in the Creditflux database made positive returns, showing at least small signs of recovery after 90% of all funds listed posted negative returns in March

Ucits at a glance: Ucits begin recovery phase
April returns prove positive for Ucits funds as 85% of those listed in the Creditflux database have moved into the black after a rough March

Bankrupt Hertz runs out of gas with CLOs holding $245 million
CLOs hold $245 million of Hertz’ debt as the US-based car rental company drives into bankruptcy protection, with the coronavirus panedemic putting brakes on the Estero, Florida-headquartered's firm car rental operations

JC Penney bankruptcy weighs on CLO and CDX HY baskets
CLO managers hold nearly $250 million of the debt of JC Penney, which filed for chapter 11 protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on Friday

Where are the gloating I-told-you-so columnists who claimed CLOs would bring global destruction?
We have seen a measured response to the coronavirus crisis: fund managers aren’t collapsing and investors are not shunning CLOs

CSOs are hurting but will emerge stronger, say sources
It is unsurprising that bespoke synthetic tranches have suffered during the covid-19 crisis, as they are backed largely by real money investors that have gone outright long credit risk. But more noteworthy and reassuring, say sources, is that most have held firm in their positions and look set to stick with the asset class — in contrast to the 2008 global financial crisis exodus

KKR takes covid-19 hit on flagship credit funds and lev fin
KKR took a 16% hit to returns on its alternative credit flagship funds amid the first quarter coronavirus downturn and a 13% loss on leveraged credit, taking these into negative territory for the last 12 months. The firm's private equity portfolio also slumped by 12%

Skew trades bloom in winter for credit
March fund returns submitted to Creditflux in April were poor, but one manager distinguished itself in the covid-19 dislocation using a synthetic strategy rarely seen since the 2008 financial

Credit hedge fund returns: March 2020 stats
Monthly performance across credit hedge funds

Fund performance: Index tranche investors make it work from home
March brought a drastic drop in return figures as covid-19 swept across the globe, as Orchard tops the Creditflux performance tables

Ucits at a glance: Long-short credit capitalises on coronavirus
Ucits funds were not spared from the crash in mid-March, but Pictet outperforms

Credit Rendezvous: recovery begins, but is it U, V or even W?
Investing in credit is not as easy as ABC. The coronavirus crisis has crushed valuations and although most assets will eventually pull to par, no one is sure how the recovery will pan out