Axa IM brings together real assets and structured finance in reorganisation
Axa Investment Managers is set to split its platform in two with an 'alternatives' business and a 'core' division  

PRI unveils ESG workstream for CLOs, loans and ABS
Principles for Responsible Investment has established a workstream on environmental social and governance standards in structured products

Goldman Sachs in talks to buy minority stake in Permira
Goldman Sachs is looking to buy a minority stake in private equity firm Permira

Brigade collects $100 million for 'senior tranche' SMA
Brigade Capital Management has won a $100 million mandate from Texas County & District Retirement System for a structured credit fund geared towards senior tranches

Credit managers hunker down as idiosyncratic risks persist
A slew of earnings reports from credit managers and business development companies shows that deal-making and performance are robust, but great importance is being placed on credit selection.

Dealers zero in on pair of managed CSO formats
The eagerly awaited introduction of ‘managed’ CSOs is getting closer, with hopes still alive for an inaugural deal before the end of March and consensus forming around two alternative approaches.

Massachusetts pension commits $200 million to structured and corporate credit
Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Trust has approved commitments with CKC Credit Opportunity and LMCG Serenitas  

Texas pension pumps $300 million into Pimco fund
Texas Municipal Retirement System has earmarked up to $300 million to a credit fund managed by Pimco, according to board documents seen by Creditflux, building on a relationship established through a predecessor fund

ArrowMark completes purchase of StoneCastle's asset manager
ArrowMark Partners has completed the acquisition of financial debt specialist StoneCastle Asset Management

Credit Rendezvous: the outlook in 2020 across a dozen segments of the credit market
Welcome to the Credit Rendezvous, the first instalment of a regular feature published by Creditflux that tracks credit market dynamics in a dozen segments from investment grade, liquid loans, CLOs and CSOs all the way through to distressed debt. We view this as the meeting point for credit specialists across strategies to share their perspectives

California pension looks to cut liquid credit allocations
Fresno County Employees’ Retirement Association will likely cut back on liquid credit and completely remove hedge fund allocations in 2020.. But the pension is optimistic about core bonds – and may include it as a new asset class

Portfolio manager returns to BlueCrest after four years
The former head of BlueCrest Capital Management's US multi-strategy credit group has returned four years after his departure from the firm

CSO arrangers take notes from success of CLOs
CSO arrangers are looking to follow the CLO template in more ways than one, with sources indicating that some dealers are looking to structure their deals in note format (as opposed to swaps).

California pension earmarks $190 million for IG structured credit as it goes defensive
San Mateo County Employees Retirement Association has earmarked $190 million to a securitised credit managed account

CLO giant casts eye on CSOs with plans to hire credit derivatives trader
An asset manager with almost $40 billion in CLO investments is looking to hire a credit derivatives trader in Newark in a role which would include coverage of index tranches and CSOs

Jefferies shelves structured synthetic plans as key man departs
Jefferies has put on ice its plans to build out a synthetic CDO origination, structuring and trading unit, having parted ways with the veteran specialist tasked with driving the venture

Change at top for Citi correlation trading as head assumes chief risk officer job
A long-serving managing director at Citi has taken sole charge of correlation trading, after the previous head of credit correlation moved to a newly created role

Pimco launches listed multi-sector global credit fund
Known as Pimco Tactical Income Fund, the fund will invest in a range of global credit strategies and will list on the New York Stock Exchange

Apollo CLO and CSO specialists earn promotion to partner
Apollo Global Management has promoted two members of its global structured credit team, according to market sources

Stockholm-based firm targets CLOs, CSOs and SRTs for new fund after stellar 2019
A fund manager, established in 2018, is said to be launching its second corporate structured credit fund, sources say, after generating 20% returns last year via its debut strategy. The new fund will invest across CLOs, CSOs, SRTs and index tranches 

Napier Park beats 47 managers to win pension's lucrative credit mandate
Napier Park Global Capital has emerged as the winner for a $500 million illiquid credit mandate for Los Angeles County Employees Association, after the pension recieved 48 responses to its original request for proposal 

If you're marketing a structured credit fund then for goodness sake don't go through the motions [podcast]
Credit allocators gave some sage advice to structured credit managers on how to go about marketing their funds at the Creditflux CLO Summit in New York last month. As part of a key note panel geared towards institutional investors fund managers were told: stop going through the motions, avoid being generalistic and tailor your pitches

Assured Guaranty Corp hires CLO specialist to co-lead structured finance group
A former CLO specialist from Mizuho will join the firm as senior managing director 

CSO arrangers look to build on $65bn of issuance in 2019
The synthetic bespoke tranche market this year has fallen short of expectations in terms of overall issuance volume, but ends with transformative inroads being made.

Falling correlation reignites passion for index tranche trades
Dispersion in the global corporate credit market is rekindling interest in correlation trading, with dealer sources reporting that a late surge lifted 2019 index tranche volumes to $250 billion.