CLOs are not like CDOs, says Barclays, but warns of loan quality impact
CLOs are far removed from the kinds of structured products that contributed to the 2008/09 global financial crisis, Barclays has argued in a wide-ranging research piece this week

Podcast: Secondary loans rebound, CLOs widen and covenants deteriorate
Creditflux, Debtwire and Xtract discuss the current state of the market  

Q4 2018, which had loan price volatility without defaults, was close to nirvana for CLO investors
The current vintage of CLOs could be the best ever if the volatility in Q4, when retail funds dumped loans, repeats itself, says our columnist Thomas Majewski

Silence is not golden: loan investors fret over terms in Apollo-sponsored deals
Leveraged loan investors have expressed concern over terms in some Apollo-sponsored deals, which allow the borrower to incur additional first lien debt that not only matures earlier than the existing debt, but also does not trigger “most favoured nations” (MFN) protection for the outstanding debt

Carlyle performance dips in Q4, but credit teams ride global volatility
Credit fund performance dipped for the Carlyle Group in the fourth quarter, as market volatility and fund outflows put a dent in the industry’s much stronger performance of the previous three quarters

CLO issuance will temper as market remains in 'exploratory mode', notes BAML research
Following a bout of volatility in the loan market, CLO issuance will be tempered as debt and equity investors rediscover correct pricing levels, according to a new research paper published this week by Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Loan rout gifts CLOs a par-building Christmas present
Correction time is here, as Charlie Brown once (almost) sang, building par and cheer. Fun for all that managers call their favourite time to... deal

Deutsche Bank refinances CLO backed with trade finance assets
Deutsche Bank has brought a $3.5 billion CLO backed by trade finance that includes a first-loss piece issued at par

Neiman Marcus loan slumps amid debt restructuring talks
The luxury fashion retailer’s $2.95 billion cov-lite term loan B, due October 2020, traded down 1.65%, according to IHS Markit 

Market favours retrospective over forward-looking approach to Ibor benchmark fallbacks, says Isda
New benchmark fallbacks for derivatives contracts that reference interbank offered rates are likely to be based on the “compounded setting in arrears rate” and the “historical mean/median approach to the spread adjustment”, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association has said

Pro Mach packs biggest punch for CLOs as lev loan index takes a tumble
 The US manufacturer's $819 million Term Loan B, due March 2025, dropped 0.76% on Monday from Friday’s close

Till debt us do part: CLOs have and hold David's Bridal loans as they plummet 10.87%
CLOs hold $26.63 million exposure to David’s Bridal, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday

24 CLO managers hold J Crew loan as it drops 4.62%
A total of 109 CLOs hold $219.4 million exposure to J Crew, whose Term Loan B traded down 4.62% from yesterday 

Recent CLO debutant Vista brings in GSO official to lead credit team
Vista Credit Partners has hired a former GSO official to lead its credit team

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 

LSTA asks for return of CLO bond buckets as part of Volcker reform
The Loan Syndication and Trading Association is advocating the return of high yield bond baskets within US CLO portfolios in what could be another sign of the shackles being loosened on CLO regulation in the US

OFS holds IPO for $50 million CLO fund
OFS Capital Management has held an initial public offering for its closed-end CLO fund, OFS Credit Company

Halcyon poaches CVC's US performing credit head Raciti
Halcyon Capital Management has poached CVC Credit Partners’ Philip Raciti and appointed him head of US performing credit and portfolio manager

BlackRock becomes latest manager to explore interval fund structure for credit
Several managers have hit the market with the interval fund structure, as investors look to invest in illiquid strategies through an illiquid fund structure

American Beacon teams up with Apollo for credit interval fund
Regulatory filings reveal that Apollo will allocate assets across four main areas: US corporate credit, global corporate credit, structured credit and real estate credit

Star names join Barclays as it pushes into CLOs

Borrowers who made the one-month Libor election at the beginning of the year saved only a bit of money
The spread between one-month Libor and three-month Libor has garnered a significant amount of attention in the CLO market this year. Indeed, some market prognosticators suggested that the difference between the two rates could have such an impact that it would shut down the primary CLO market. 

Xtract: CLOs may be further squeezed by one-week Libor Election
There are 30 loans which could, at the drop of a hat, switch to one-week Libor benchmarks, according to a report by Xtract Research

Investors fight to stop assets being pulled into black holes
US loan investors are fighting back against terms which they believe are effectively turning supposedly senior secured loans into unsecured agreements

Neuberger's Dyal acquires minority stake in HPS
Dyal Partners, a division of Neuberger Berman, has acquired a minority equity stake in global credit manager HPS Investment Partners