Ranger direct lending fund set to wind-up as Ares withdraws candidacy
A new development in the Ranger Direct Lending Fund saga: Ares withdraws its proposal to assume managerial responsibilities for the fund

Experienced CSAM holds off boutiques to win biggest prize
Credit Suisse Asset Management became a two-time winner of the Creditflux Manager of the Year award last month after picking up the 2018 trophy in front of a packed house at London’s Landmark Hotel on 9 May

HSBC asset management unit raises $800 million for global multi-manager loan fund
As a multi-manager fund,  the new vehicle aims to offer the benefits of fund-of-funds - diversification - but with a management fee comparable to a single manager 

Carlyle and Oppenheimer opt for interval fund structure as part of JV
The new private credit fund will invest at least 80% across loans and structured credit (Including CLOs), opportunistic credit, direct lending and liquid credit, SEC filings reveal

Ares emerges as favourite to take over troubled direct lending fund
Following Oaktree’s wind-down request, the board of the Ranger Direct Lending Fund has chosen Ares as replacement manager - moves which could see the fund change its focus from peer-to-peer loan investments to asset-backed loans

Direct lenders pile into "turbocharged" market as fundraising skyrockets: report
Growth in the direct lending market in the 12 months to 31 December was “turbocharged,” growing robustly in the fourth quarter 2017 in particular due to a consistently growing Eurozone economy, according to Deloitte

BC Partners registers BDC to invest in US middle market companies
Pan European buy-out investor BC Partners, Acuris’s parent company, has registered a new BDC under the name of BC Partners Lending Corporation, SEC filings reveal

HSBC announces $550 million second close for diversified loan fund
HSBC Alternative Investments has announced the second close of its diversified loan fund, which will combine both loan investing and direct lending

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

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

Searchlight and LionTree join forces on TMT investments
Searchight + LionTree = LightTree, a new partnership which will invest across debt and equity in the TMT space

Points up front: zombie managers near extinction
The long-term nature of CLOs means the market tends to have a large number of zombie managers, those with one or two deals outstanding but no plans for future issuance. However, a spate of redemptions, especially in Europe, has swept away some of the ghostly deadwood.

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Fund platform AMX eyeballs credit funds
Willis Towers Watson’s hedge fund platform has grown to $1.5 billion – and there is space for credit managers  

Things aren’t always what they seem
Buy CLO triple As but don’t be fooled by diversity scores; take a look at credit index futures if you need liquidity; and watch out for quasi-mid market loans appearing in CLOs