Fairwater eyes tranches and options as prospects ‘multiply’
Fairwater Capital is looking to capitalise on rising credit volatility by crafting a strategy that makes full use of the growing number of products in the credit derivatives industry

Past returns: Hedging is back
Ten years ago in Creditflux we reported that loan managers had begun hedging after loan prices stabilised back to par following the global financial crisis. These loan managers were worried about future loan slumps and began using credit options and ETFs

Points up front: The flattest term curve - work anniversary rewards
If you think CLO term curves are flat with a handful of basis points between three and five-year triple A CLOs, then you haven’t seen anything yet

Fund performance: Lightning strikes twice as range of credit funds deliver
What seemed like a chance occurrence in February has struck again in March, as seven categories make our top 10 best performing hedge funds

China Huarong’s late annual report unsettles market
China Huarong Asset Manager, the state-owned bad debt manager, has been a big driver of credit volatility in an otherwise placid market, after its delayed annual report sent shockwaves through the region and beyond.

Non-mandated CDS clearing leaps ahead of margin deadline
The regulatory drive to increase clearing of derivatives is making big strides in the credit market. But a standout feature of 2021 is the acceleration in central counterparty clearing of products not subject to a regulatory mandate, such as CDS index options and single names

Telecom Italia spreads dial up as Draghi disconnects network plan
Telecom Italia is among Thursday's underperforming credits in Europe, after the country's prime minister Mario Draghi scrapped plans for a single national fibre network

Credit and stocks regain composure on rates as oil hits new heights
Credit and equity markets have improved again on Wednesday morning, after US treasury secretary Janet Yellen's comments about possible rate rises spooked markets on Tuesday afternoon

M&A drives movers in high yield and investment grade
Acquisition talks are having the biggest impact on European credit spreads on Tuesday following the UK bank holiday, with several names moving against an otherwise flat market

Banks set to offer client clearing of credit index options
Bank members of LCH, the London Stock Exchange's clearing arm, will soon start offering client clearing of CDS index options, as the industry prepares for its next ramp up of margining requirements

CSOs and index tranches reach sticking point as correlation gets rich
Credit correlation trading looks to have reached a point of inflexion, as the previous bull run at the lower end of index capital stacks has given way to caution over how much further spread compression can go. At the same time, bespoke tranche business is gaining interest but equity remains stickier to sell at the market's ultra-low spread and volatility levels

Spread tightening picks up with single names making good ground
The credit market rally picked up its pace on Thursday, after several days of more incremental movement. A notable feature is that single names are picking up the shift and in numerous cases outperforming rather than lagging indices

Saipem moves sharply on Mozambique moans
Saipem, the Italian energy engineering group, was a big underperformer in a flattish credit market on Wednesday, as uncertainty over a project in Mozambique weighed on first quarter results and its outlook for the year

Picard and Cleveland-Cliffs underscore high yield single name sensitivity
Picard entered a relief rally on Friday after postponing a triple-tranche bond deal backing a refinancing and shareholder dividend

Brevan Howard hires senior credit PM
Brevan Howard has hired an experienced credit portfolio manager in New York

Swiss bank credit and equity diverges as it taps investors for $2 billion
Credit Suisse put credit and equity investors on different paths Thursday as it looked to raise nearly $2 billion to improve its finances

Carlyle senior credit investor joins fintech firm as CFO
An experienced credit investment professional at the Carlyle Group has moved to become chief financial officer at fintech company NoviCap

Huarong resumes sharp rally as China weighs asset support
China Huarong Asset Manager rallied sharply in the credit market on Wednesday amid media reports China’s central bank could assume some of the state-owned bad debt manager’s assets

Tobacco splutters in broad market sell off
Credit and equity are under pressure on Tuesday as markets pull back from their improved levels amid concerns about the worsening global covid-19 picture. But tobacco companies have their own problems to contend with, with the US considering a proposal to require lower nicotine levels in cigarettes and other countries also looking to curb sales

Lord Abbett prepares special situations interval fund
Lord Abbett is preparing to launch a new special situations fund in the form of an interval fund

Credit Rendezvous: ready and waiting
In Creditflux's quarterly review of credit, portfolio managers tell us that Inflation is likely to nudge higher but they are optimistic because dispersion will pick up and windows of volatility will emerge, rather than elongated phases of stress 

French foodco CDS jumps on bond offering
Picard, the French frozen foods company, is a big underperformer in credit markets on Monday, as it limbered up to bring a triple-tranche bond deal

China contagion fears linger as Huarong rebounds
China Huarong Asset Manager, the state-owned bad debt manager, is back on a path to improvement after shocking markets by delaying its annual report. But questions remain over the extent of government support and the ripple effects to the wider credit market

Ex-JP Morgan portfolio manager joins boutique as head of structured credit
A portfolio manager who worked in JP Morgan's chief investment office (2008-2014) and with experience across macro credit trading, relative value, index tranches, options and CSOs has resurfaced on the buy side

"IG investors might want to rethink the instrument, but they need not fear rising rates just yet"
In his latest column for Creditflux, Cheyne's Duncan Sankey writes that the sharp rise in 10-year US treasuries could be positive for investment grade investors, but value is in CDS rather than bonds