Former Stifel loan trading head lands at Imperial
Imperial Capital Group has appointed the former head of loan trading at Stifel as a managing director and senior loan trader

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 

Massachusetts pension commits $200 million to structured and corporate credit
Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Trust has approved commitments with CKC Credit Opportunity and LMCG Serenitas  

Pretium buys Latigo to boost distressed capabilities
Pretium Partners has bought the investment management business of New York-based Latigo Partners, in a bid to expand the firm’s distressed debt and event-driven credit capabilities. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed

Lord Abbett preps floating rate interval fund with monthly share repurchase
Lord Abbett Enhanced Floating Rate Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in floating rate products including senior secured or unsecured loans, second lien debt and floating rate structured credit including CLOs

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

Loomis Sayles loses out as US pension shifts to higher-quality credit
Dallas Police and Fire Pension System is liquidating a loan portfolio managed by Loomis Sayles, as it reallocates assets away from high yield towards investment grade

Bifurcation in loan market will continue in 2020, says MUFG
Bifurcation in the leveraged loan market, a trend that dominated the market in 2019, looks set to continue in 2020, according to MUFG’s co-head of debt capital markets Jeffrey Knowles

Banco Sabadell joins forces with Amundi
Banco Sabadell and Amundi have announced a long-term strategic partnership, in a bid to boost fund business in Spain  

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

Ex-CQS portfolio manager resurfaces at Axa IM
A former European leveraged loan portfolio manager who left CQS in July 2018 has resurfaced at Axa Investment Management

First Eagle buys US CLO manager THL Credit
Two years after establishing its credit business with the acquisition of NewStar Financial, First Eagle Investment Management is aiming big again after striking a deal to buy THL Credit Advisors

CIFC beefs up investor relations team in London with two hires
CIFC Asset Management has hired from Muzinich and Murano in a bid to strengthen its European investor relations effort

Distressed loans get IHS Markit workover as tech service aims to cut settlement times
IHS Markit is unveiling an electronic solution through its ClearPar platform aimed at simplifying trade settlement for distressed leveraged loans, an area that has greatly lagged efficiency in the par loans market    

CLO supply set for double-digit drop in 2020, says JP Morgan
US CLO supply in 2020 will be as much as 20% down on 2019, while European issuance will fall 13% year-on-year, predict JP Morgan strategists in a research note. Even so, new CLOs should still outpace existing deal paydowns, as well as high yield primary market net new issuance

ESG phenomenon leads to talk of incentive fee models
For asset managers that are diving into environmental social and governance (ESG) investment standards, an ugly truth is the lack of any standardised performance fees. But that could change as more investors begin picking and choosing allocations based on ESG rubrics.

US pension allocates to Golub in bid to boost 'non-core fixed income' bucket
The State of New Mexico Investment Council has awarded $100 million to a senior debt fund managed by Golub Capital Partners, as part of a plan to bolster its non-core fixed income bucket

Australian pension fund hires head of ESG
The Australian Catholic Superannuation & Retirement Fund has appointed Louise Bradshaw to lead the pension fund’s initiatives in regard to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments

THL updates credit investment framework to include ESG
THL Credit Advisors has announced that it has developed an investment framework for assessing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in analysing credit quality and risk factors

EQT looks to raise €500 million via IPO
The initial public offering is anticipated to increase EQT's flexbility to “pursue growth opportunities” and expand its private market investing business

Last of GSO's co-founders departs
It's the end of an era as GSO Capital Partners co-founder Bennett Goodman (the 'G' in GSO) will step down from the firm at the end of the year 

Cambridge University appoints CIO
The University of Cambridge has named a CIO who previously served at instutituions such as the BBC and Virgin  

Connecticut $36 billion pension hires first chief risk officer
The Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds has hired its first-ever chief risk officer

Mediobanca builds loan and CLO trading team with hire
Mediobanca has made a hire as it looks to grow the loan and CLO trading business in London it established last year 

Credit plays a big part as KKR increases AUM by $6.5 billion
KKR grew its assets under management by 8% over the second quarter, according to the firm’s earnings call, which took place on Thursday.