Rapid CLO M&A activity on the horizon as fee deferrals pick up
A flurry of M&A deals could soon sweep the CLO market as management fee deferrals become an increasing pressure point for small CLO managers

European investors eye 180bp pick-up on triple B CLOs traded in April
A b-wic consisting of mostly European triple B CLOs that traded in late April is on offer at 9.30am New York time tomorrow, according to market sources, as data shows spreads for the rating band averaging 546 basis points over Euribor as of 27 May

Fair Oaks spends on junior European CLO debt after raising funds
Fair Oaks Capital has invested $92 million in junior CLO debt tranches since the start of April after putting to work fresh commitments to CLO investment fund Fair Oaks Limited

Global CLO b-wic round up: dealer bid strengthens secondary CLO market across the board
The US CLO secondary market had over $1 billion listed in b-wics last week, the first time at this level in three weeks according to CLO-i. A further €270 million went on sale in the European CLO secondary market, as the dealer bid returned to assist in continued tightening across the capital stack

OC health check: eight CLOs report second month of test failures
20 CLOs reported overcollateralisation test failures last week, of which 12 were new breaches while eight were deals were failing for a second reporting period in a row

Beneath the triple C: April showers send buckets overboard
Downgrade waves rocked the CLO market in April as Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded 135 corporate borrowers to triple C or below, from ratings above that level. The downgrades put CLOs in rough waters as $41.6 billion of such loans are prevalent in US CLOs while €5.64 are moored in European CLO portfolios – affecting 5.92% of the US market and 4.37% of the European market

Credit pickers need luck to avoid OC trap
We know what you’re thinking: is my CLO failing its OC test? The truth is, in all this volatility, it can be hard to keep track, unless your deal has high quality liquid loans

 

Global CLO b-wic round-up: equity makes a return as investors search for price levels
Three European CLO equity bonds have traded with colour attached in the last two weeks in the secondary market

Seven points basis opens up in CLO triple Bs - but Investcorp trades well to defy trend
Triple B rated tranches once again swamped the secondary CLO market yesterday and trading levels suggest the basis between bonds on negative watch/outlook versus those not subject to a downgrade is about seven points

US and European CLO triple Bs hit secondary market as downgrade fear sets in
Downgrade risk is being priced into triple B-rated CLO tranches, according to market sources, after a wave of mezzanine and junior CLO debt tranches swept onto b-wics yesterday

Global CLO b-wic round-up: spreads tighten across the board as bond-flex CLOs trade well
Price levels have tightened and, more importantly, stabilised across the secondary CLO market over the last two weeks, but the Easter break led to a drop off in CLO b-wic supply

Neuberger Berman eyes $500 million fundraise for CLO opportunity fund
Neuberger Berman has become the latest manager to launch a CLO opportunity fund with the New York-headquartered manager looking to raise $500 million for the vehicle

Beneath the triple C: $31.6 billion of CLO credits feel downgrade pain
March madness took a toll on CLOs as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s downgraded 4.25% of the portfolios in the US and 1.84% in Europe to triple C or below in just one month (some of these were already triple C rated, only to fall further).

Former JP Morgan credit prop trader relaunches credit hedge fund
Palm Lane Partners is relaunching – two years after the credit hedge fund manager looked to spin out of JP Morgan Asset Management

Global CLO b-wic round-up: $8 billion of US CLOs listed in record-breaking March
Last week brought an end to the busiest month in both the US and European CLO secondary markets since at least 2014. $7.7 billion of US CLO paper was on sale in March with a further €1.8 billion of European CLO bonds available, bringing the total listed in Q1 to $13.9 billion and €3.6 billion

The opportunities to build par and spread within a CLO haven’t been this plentiful since 2009
Last year’s CLOs could become the benchmark for manager performance

European CLO triple Bs go from 99 to 73 in less than a month
European CLO mezzanine prices have fallen by almost 30 cents in less than a month, with a b-wic yesterday featuring a 2019 PGIM-managed CLO underlining the dramatic decline

Fair Oaks suspends dividends from listed CLO fund citing covid-19 uncertainty
Fair Oaks Capital has suspended dividends on its listed CLO fund “in light of the ongoing uncertainty in economies and markets caused by covid-19 pandemic”, according to an update to investors in the $315 million fund

Global CLO b-wic round-up: CLO triple As recover but mezz left behind
The CLO secondary market was a tale of two halves last week. 100% of all bonds listed in b-wics on Monday and Tuesday had no covers released (either traded or did not trade), but the end of the week was a different story for both markets

European CLO triple As bounce back in secondary market
European CLO triple As have begun tightening in the secondary market with sources indicating that by Friday, these notes were trading at 250 basis points, which is down from about 400bp a week ago

Fitch puts European and US CLO notes on negative watch after coronavirus stress test
Fitch Ratings has placed six notes from one European CLO, one US static CLO and one US middle market CLO on negative watch, following coronavirus-related stress tests placed last week 

Global CLO b-wic round-up: triple A volumes hit nine-year highs, but equity valuations could be "single digits"
Over $2.5 billion of US CLO paper listed in b-wics in last week's manic trading, with a further €435 million of European CLO bonds also on sale. CLO buyers and sellers turned to the safest part of the capital structure – the triple A rated notes – and away from its most illiquid asset class, with no equity bonds listed in either market

Secondary CLO triple As slump below October levels
The secondary CLO market is showing no sign of stopping the rut with triple A rated paper in European and US markets displaying more weakness

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. 

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