Evolving M&A is transforming the capital formation landscape – KKR
'Critical' link between M&A and credit is set to fuel growth in private markets

UK and France dominate European CLO collateral – Fitch Ratings
One-third of the collateral behind European CLOs is issued by UK and French companies, as Fitch warns of French downgrade risk

Originator “fix” notices soar following risk retention update – Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank reports a surge in “fix” notices following 8 August EBA risk retention update

European BB CLO tranches most susceptible to downgrade – S&P Global
Triple-A tranches demonstrate “significant stability,” according to the ratings agency

Credit quality of European CLOs improved since start of year – Fitch
A new report from Fitch Ratings points toward higher quality CLO portfolio credit in the year to date, despite a lower default recovery rate

Private debt market fundraising shows shift to Europe – Goldman Sachs
Private credit market fundraising has been pivoting to Europe, while global defaults remain below historical averages, according to new research from Goldman Sachs

Default expectations rise as tariff threats to North America deepen – IACPM survey
Credit portfolio managers across the world see tariff-related headwinds for both the US and Canada

US CLO spreads to widen as uncertainty and tariffs bite – JPMorgan
Higher US tariff levels may lead to CLO spreads widening and pressure US CLO market growth, but new origination has been more resilient than expected, according to JPMorgan analysts in their mid-year CLO outlook report

European CLO resets expected to continue throughout 2025 – Fitch Ratings
A report from the ratings agency indicates as many as 80 European CLOs from 2022 and after could be viable reset candidates this year 

Euro CLOs' largest single B- credits have little direct tariff exposure but face varying indirect pressures – S&P Global
The wave of global tariffs will have little direct impact on the top 'B-' European CLO holdings, but these credits remain vulnerable to secondary effects, according to research from S&P Global

Expanding investor base and ABL will propel private credit growth says BlackRock
The private credit asset class will continue to grow in 2025 as the underlying investor base diversifies and the definition of private credit expands to include asset-backed finance held by private lenders

Banks predict record-breaking year ahead
Consensus figures generated from outlook reports by five banks suggest 2025 will be another strong year for CLO issuance. But last year, their estimates were well below the actual numbers

Slow and steady wins the day
It’s often thought CLO managers add value to their deals via high volume trading strategies. The data shows this can be true — but on average, top performing CLOs are less actively traded

BNP Paribas sees credit upside in 2025, even amidst Trump-led unpredictability
The bank also sees CLO equity outperforming in 2025 benefiting from resilient loan fundamentals, strong cash flows, and the upside potential from reset activity

Moody’s forecasts robust economic performance underpinning continued strength in CLOs
The ratings agency’s outlook for 2025 is upbeat about the prospects for both the US and European CLO markets, helped by declining leveraged loan defaults

Deutsche Bank forecasts record new issuance for European CLOs in 2025
Deutsche Bank Research is forecasting a record EUR 50bn in gross new issue CLO supply for the European CLO market in 2025, with net issuance projected to increase to EUR 25bn

Triple C assets and capital preservation
In the US and Europe, better performing CLOs tend to hold fewer triple C assets. But even so, a third of top performing CLOs in the US have more than 6% of their assets in the triple C bucket.

Static deals stand out in Europe
European CLO equity in redeemed deals has delivered excellent returns. But managers might be surprised to discover that static deals are the region’s stars

European CLOs see jump in triple-C exposure, says Fitch
European CLOs have seen their exposure to assets rated triple-C or below increase sharply, reaching an average of 5.0%

European distress remains muted but trouble is brewing in Industrials
European Industrials rose to be the second most distressed sector in August, according to a new report based on the Weil European Distress Index

JP Morgan revises CLO spread target upwards as recession fears mount
Off the back of renewed recession fears JP Morgan has revised its end-of-year AAA CLO spread target upwards to 150bps for both the US and Europe

European managers struggle to add alpha
Before the COVID pandemic, European CLOs comfortably outperformed the Morningstar European Euro-Denominated Loan Index. Since then, alpha has declined for many managers

Barclays sees record European CLOs for 2024
Barclays expects a record year for CLO deals in Europe, raising its issuance forecast to EUR 40-45bn in a report released this week

Do defaults predict equity returns?
At first glance, recently redeemed European CLOs show some sort of correlation between final IRR and the number of defaults in their portfolio. But what other factors affect performance?

European WAL test language is getting a little looser finds Dealscribe
The latest quarter has seen some loosening of WAL test laguage for European CLOs, according to document analysts Dealscribe