S&P adds to CLO negative watch list as loan downgrades pick up
Standard & Poor’s has added to the list of tranches in CLOs it has on negative watch as coronavirus concerns mount. This follows the rating agency last week highlighting 22 tranches across 15 US CLOs for having big exposure to downgraded corporate borrowers across impacted industry sectors

CLOs pressured by sub-80 loan index as UBS predicts $550 billion of distress
CLOs were squeezed again today as the coronavirus selloff continues to hammer the loan market and UBS predicted many leveraged loans will become distressed

Silver lining: credit investors provided with lower entry points than Q4 2018
Oil shocks and the coronavirus outbreak, along with aftermath effects such as US Federal Reserve interventions and lockdowns, is providing credit investors with lower entry points than the Q4 2018 sell-off, say sources. Furthermore, an expected U-shaped rather than V-shaped recovery could provide a greater money multiple for opportunistic investments - if they can access them 

CLO new issues shut down as market digests fiscal stimulus measures
The CLO and loan pipelines have dried up as managers and investors shift their focus to trading, according to market sources

Nordea's former head of sustainable loans resurfaces at Handelsbanken
The former head of sustainable loans at Nordea will join Handelsbanken debt capital markets team in May

Loan index drops below 90 for first time since February 2016
The S&P/LSTA leveraged loan index dropped below 90 today as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the world's financial markets

Beneath the triple C: mighty CLO buckets from Akorns grow
Rating agencies went on a downgrading spree in February, with Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s cutting 20 corporate names to triple C or below – affecting $2.78 billion of paper in US CLOs and €316.6 million in European CLOs. 

Loan market slump feeds into CLO pricing
The loan market opened this week 2-4 percentage points lower than last week, pushing it toward 90—a threshold it has not crossed since February 2016. CLOs have reacted to this rapid drop

Fed cut triggers Libor floors on third of US loans
Roughly a third of US loans effectively became fixed rate investments this week as Libor edged below 1% for the first time since January 2017

VIP Cinema makes uncomfortable viewing for CLOs as it's reeled into Chapter 11
CLOs hold $52.9 million of debt in seatmaker VIP Cinema Holdings, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the District of Delaware

Pimco plans to outperform come rain or shine with $4.5bn all-weather fund
Pimco has become the latest manager to fashion a flexible, all weather credit fund that invests across public and private markets, geographies and capital structures. The Newport Beach-based manager is hoping to raise $3 billion for the strategy. With half a turn of leverage, it could have up to $4.5 billion to deploy.

Experienced CLO PM Bowers launches asset manager with private equity backing
Jonathan Bowers, a former partner and senior portfolio manager at CVC Credit Partners, has established an asset manager in partnership with a private equity firm

EQT undertakes strategic review of credit business
EQT has announced a review of its credit business with the firm appointing JP Morgan to evaluate its 'strategic options', according to the firm’s Q4 2019 report

Clover bankruptcy leaves print marks on CLOs
CLOs hold $256 million of the debt of printing supply company Clover Technologies Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday

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

Highland files for bankruptcy
Highland Capital Management filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware (Docket No. 19-12239)

Credit CIO Finch leaves GLG
Simon Finch has parted ways with Man GLG, according to market sources, ending an 18-month stay at the firm where he served as chief investment officer for credit

Europe and US diverge on covenant lite structures
Direct lending is syphoning away traditional loan supply

CLO managers suffer puncture with $85 million of Jack Cooper debt
CLO managers hold $85.8 million of exposure to auto hauler Jack Cooper Ventures, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to the latest trustee reports from CLO-i 

CLO managers lick their wounds with Joerns bankruptcy
Seven CLO managers hold $92.3 million exposure to US healthcare equipment businesses Joerns Woundco Holdings, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday 

Cayman Island hopping: EU laws provoke switch in CLO listings
The Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX) is set to become the listing place of choice in 2019 for CLOs put together by US managers — at least, according to a bold prediction by law firm Harneys.

Baird targets CLO arranging business
A New York brokerage with a CLO trading business is making a pitch to be the first debut arranger of the year. According to market sources, RW Baird has hired CLO origination specialist Mario Verna with a view to building out a CLO primary business. In March, Verna left Guggenheim Securities, where he served on the CLO desk as a managing director.

Mizuho appoints US and European credit trading heads in leadership shake-up
The hires include a newly created CLO role, head of credit trading, and head of special situations and illiquid trading 

GoldenTree names president as Matza retires
The credit manager has appointed an ex-JP Morgan Asset Management official as partner and president 

Steinhoff CDS auction in limbo due to lock-up and CVA
A date to settle CDS referencing Steinhoff Europe had still to be agreed as Creditflux went to press — more than a month on from when the EMEA Determinations Committee (DC) ruled that the company had triggered a failure-to-pay credit event.