It's all relative: CLOs are lagging no more, as Carlyle deal drags market tighter
“CLOs are lagging” has been a much repeated refrain over the last nine months. But Carlyle Group has this week produced a US CLO that has dragged spreads to their tightest point in three years so that, rather than comparing CLOs to pre-covid levels, they should be assessed against early 2018

Alcentra co-CIO for liquid credit set to leave this month
A high profile figure in the US CLO business is leaving Alcentra

Blackstone refinances mezz tranches of 2018 bond-heavy CLO
Blackstone Credit has teamed up with GreensLedge to refinance the mezzanine debt notes of a 2018-vintage inaugural bond-heavy CLO named Cirrus Funding 2018-1

LP round-up: investors gift private debt and leveraged loan RFPs over holiday season
2020 ended on a strong note with four institutional investors increasing asset allocation to private debt or initiating private debt and leveraged loan searches. ArrowMark, Banner Ridge, BBAM, HIG Whitehorse, Monroe and Rialto were also awarded mandates

Equity investors call time on CSAM bond-flex CLOs
Two of Credit Suisse Asset Management’s three bond-flex CLOs were called by their equity investors in October, according to notices seen by Creditflux, despite both deals being within their reinvestment periods

Cessation of activity mid-December is an opportunity to switch off… and let the mind wander
Welshcake is grateful for a lull in credit markets. The downtime has inspired him to dream up a CLO play

No CDS auction for Scandinavian Airlines 'soft' credit event, rules DC
A credit event auction will not take place for Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden CDS contracts, despite the company triggered a restructuring credit event last month, the EMEA Determinations Committee has ruled

High yield outperformance to bring compression trade back into play: Citi
High yield underperformance versus investment grade is expected to reverse following the US presidential election, according to a strategy note from Citi. The bank’s strategists have been advocating compression trades since July and feel that there is more room for this to run citing election trends, exposure to coronavirus credits, expected default rates and credit ratings

Credit fundraising: Dubai manager gets in on the act as direct lending takes off
Shuaa launches credit fund in the Gulf as Ares, Contingency, HPS and Perceptive are among those to close billion-plus funds

Brigade refis bond-flex CLO and junior notes follow order while seniors stand out
Brigade Capital Management has completed a partial refinanced of a bond-flex US CLO and in the process redressed one imbalance in terms of running coupons, while opening up another.

Squarepoint adds former bank credit trading head in London
Squarepoint Capital, a cross-asset fund manager that uses systematic and quantitative strategies, has hired a former global credit trading head at Societe Generale to lead fixed income, currencies and commodities alpha capture

Scandinavian Airlines System triggers restructuring credit event
Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden has triggered a restructuring credit event as a result of its recent recapitalisation, the Emea Determinations Committee has ruled

Brigade prices rare refinancing of bond-flex CLO from 2018
Brigade Capital Management has partially refinanced a debut bond-heavy CLO from 2018 known as Brigade Debt Funding I, marking just the fourth such transaction of 2020

Loomis Sayles promotes deputy CIO to top job
Loomis Sayles has named a replacement chief investment officer, following the retirement of incumbent CIO Jae Park

Vontobel hires ex-Pictet bond manager as head of fixed income boutique
Vontobel Asset Management has announced the appointment of an ex-Pictet bond manager as head of its $25 billion fixed income boutique

US investors piled into structured credit and private lending in 2019, Gapstow finds
US institutional investors' allocations to 'alternative credit' increased 12% year-over-year in 2019, according to research by fund of funds manager Gapstow Capital Partners

Green credit advocate launches research body
Stockholm-based portfolio manager and green credit advocate Ulf Erlandsson has today announced the launch of research body Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute (AFII)

Anchorage prices first-of-its-kind bond flex CLO refi
Anchorage Capital Group has taken the unusual step of refinancing three tranches of its 2018 vintage CBO named Anchorage Credit Funding 5. Creditflux data shows the deal to be a first-of-its-kind transaction

Post hires head of sales and marketing in Los Angeles
Post Advisory Group has hired Eileen Mancera as managing director and head of sales and marketing

Credit event auctions mount as European resistance breaks
Two constituent defaults in iTraxx Crossover — the first to hit the European on-the-run index in almost two years — have made 2020 the second busiest year ever for credit event auctions

Hema and Matalan auctions set as DC ponders Ensco credit event
Dates have been set for credit event auctions to settle two constituent defaults in iTraxx Crossover — the first to hit the European on-the-run index in almost two years

LP round up: Connecticut eyes Fortress for private credit partnership
Investors placed $3.3 billion across 26 credit mandates over the past fortnight, according to documents seen by Creditflux 

LP round up: Oregon eyes $1.8 billion into structured credit
Institutional investors have earmarked over $6 billion to credit funds over the past two weeks

Wirecard CDS auction set to have two deliverables
Two notes look set to be deliverable into an auction to settle Wirecard CDS, according to an initial list published by the EMEA Determinations Committee

LP round up: managers keep fundraising hopes high as GSO targets $7.5 billion for mezz offering
Institutional investors allocated $1.6 billion into credit this week, according to documents seen by Creditflux