Points up front: Channelling Twain, Agent Smith and Mike Tyson
Lockdown can adversely affect one’s grasp of reality, and for credit portfolio managers this has manifested itself in a penchant for quoting famous (sometimes fictional) figures

Wide-end credits sharply diverge in firming market
In an overall flattish market, Selecta Group and Novafives are today's standout big movers in European high yield credit, but are on very different trajectories

Wirecard triggers first European CDS credit event of 2020
Wirecard has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Determinations Committee has ruled, making it the first European CDS name of 2020 to require settlement at auction

DC agrees to rule on Wirecard, putting Europe's first 2020 CDS auction in sight
The European CDS market is moving closer to facing its first CDS auction of the year, with the Determinations Committee agreeing to rule on whether the German digital payments firm has triggered a bankruptcy credit event

US and Europe diverge as loan trading bands emerge on the continent
Europe and the US are on different courses with credit indices having drifted apart over the past month, say trading sources. Europe is expected to suffer fewer defaults to the extent that "it’s getting quite difficult for borrowers to default”, as one source put it. But the US has "higher growth potential due to its more dynamic economy"

Wirecard bankruptcy credit event question put to DC
Wirecard, the German digital payments company at the centre of a €2.1 billion accountancy scandal, has been posed as a bankruptcy credit event to the Determinations Committee for Europe, Middle East and Africa

Lufthansa spreads guided down after heavy turbulence
A volatile week for Deutsche Lufthansa is ending with spreads tighter, after shareholders came around to backing a German government bailout

US swaps rule relaxation brings underperformance of bank CDS
US Federal Reserve changes to the Volcker rule has caused bank stocks to surge, but credit market perceptions are less positive

Algebris leads monthly returns in new world matrix
Algebris Macro Credit's return submission for May was among the best non-CLO/ABS fund performers out of those Creditflux tracks, adding to a strong turnaround for the strategy

VW gives EuropCar a lift
EuropCar is one of the biggest movers in the credit markets today, on reports that German carmaker Volkswagen is in talks to buy the French car rental firm

Lufthansa climbs as shareholder airs bailout grievances
Deutsche Lufthansa is among today's biggest underperformers in credit and stock markets, as a battle brews with its largest shareholder over the terms of a €9 billion government bailout for the airline

DC rejects Valaris credit event request
The Americas Determinations Committee has rejected a request to rule on whether UK headquartered offshore driller Valaris has triggered a restructuring credit event

Bond and CDS surge caps remarkable chicken run for Boparan
Boparan, the UK-based restaurant group and chicken supplier, has surged tighter in bonds and CDS today, capping a remarkable turnaround in recent months for a company that had long been one of the riskiest in the European high yield universe before the coronavirus outbreak

US jitters set in ahead of monthly options expiry
A gap has opened up again in the performance of European credit versus US ahead of this month's CDS options expiries, after a shakier trading session in New York yesterday

CLOs dodge offshore driller as restructuring credit event question posed
The Americas Determinations Committee has been asked to rule on whether UK headquartered offshore driller Valaris has triggered a restructuring credit event

SocGen promotes cross-asset solutions specialist
Societe Generale has named a global head of economics, cross-asset and quant research

Big reverse rally as hopes rise for US stimulus
Credit markets are rallying sharply today, along with rising stocks, on expectations the US is about to deliver another stimulus package to help address the damage caused to its economy by covid-19

Relief rally follows relative value trading on US/Europe credit and tranches
Credit markets look set to end the week on a cautious retracement tighter, after several sessions of heavy reminders the coronavirus crisis is far from over and that sector/geographical selection remains important

Sculptor CEO Shafir to step down with CIO taking dual role
Sculptor Capital Management has announced that its chief investment officer will take also take on the role of chief executive officer, effective 1 April 2021

Covid-19 second wave fears drive divergence as spread widening accelerates
This week's credit market sell-off has picked up pace, along with a fall in stocks, after the US Federal Reserve painted a pessimistic picture for economic recovery and concerns mount about a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic

Market sell-off takes Europe on convergence path with US
Convergence between European and US credit has gathered pace, with the differential between both investment grade and high yield CDS indices reaching new recent tights

Intelsat CDS set for deemed auction today at 100% recovery
Intelsat Investments CDS will be settled today at 100% recovery through a deemed auction, the Determinations Committee has said

Convergence trades in focus as US high yield wobbles at the tights
US convergence with Europe is the theme of this week, at least in high yield, with CDX HY having narrowed to within 80bp of iTraxx Crossover 

Credit dips inside key levels as wide end outperforms
A second day of rallying credit spreads has taken the iTraxx Crossover index inside 400bp for the first time since 9 March, with positive sentiment on reopening economies outweighing other concerns

PGIM prepares listed credit fund
PGIM is marketing a ‘flexible’ listed fund, dubbed PGIM Strategic Credit Fund , to invest at least 80% across fixed income