Galapagos CDS auction looms with Morgan Stanley added to participating bidders
A credit event auction tomorrow to settle Galapagos Holdings CDS will have 10 participating bidders, with Morgan Stanley having been approved by other dealers to take part

New EC fund rules could lead to ‘pre-pre-marketing’
The European Commission has approved a standardised concept of ‘pre-marketing’ in a move that could see more capital flow through the European Economic Area. The new definition of pre-marketing is meant to provide clarity, but some sources say that the amendments could be seen as an additional burden and lead to a concept of pre-pre-marketing.

Flat curves and decompression make waves below the surface
Hopes of using the summer slowdown to get to the beach may be tempered for credit relative value traders, where opportunities abound behind the uninspiring benchmark numbers of the slow market grind.

Points up front: Benefits of being unethical
Investing ethically is increasingly becoming part of a credit manager’s mandate, with environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies all the rage.

Net short language could force lenders to sell at a loss
Signs are growing that ‘net short’ provisions in bonds and loans are getting closer to hitting CDS investors, with two instances in recent weeks of the language expanding both in geographical and functional remit.

Back to basis (and skew) as relative value plays catch-up
Basis trades between bonds and CDS failed to gain traction during July as synthetic markets held ground or improved their position versus cash, but this is beginning to change, say market participants.

Fund performance: Mercury rises as does credit fund performance

Galapagos CDS auction date set
Settlement of Galapagos Holdings CDS will take place on Wednesday next week (7 August), the auction’s administrator Creditex has said

Index tranches and Sub Fin basket among top picks after ECB meeting, says JP Morgan
The European Central Bank’s statement that rate cuts will likely be paired with tiered deposit rates suggests a boost for the iTraxx Sub Financials index, as well as tier two and additional tier one bank bonds, says JP Morgan in latest credit research. The bank also advocates selling iTraxx Europe 0-3% tranches delta hedged

Galapagos CDS set for high pay-out with one deliverable on initial list
Galapagos Holdings could have only the bond on which it defaulted as a deliverable obligation into an auction to settle its CDS

Credit traders' kickstand: tighter and tighter we go, as outlook gets 'worse and worse'
It’s a strange world, where the president of the European Central Bank can say the economic outlook is “getting worse and worse” as credit markets surge into new territories of tightness

LCH replaces CEO of London clearing business
Clearing house LCH has appointed a new chief executive of LCH Ltd, its UK registered business

Dutch development bank creates ESG and impact standing committee
The Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) has created a standing committee for impact and environmental, social and governance investing

Regulators delay final initial margin deadline and add extra roll-out phase
Regulators have granted a one-year reprieve to smaller counterparties from a requirement to post initial margin on derivative trades, while introducing an additional implementation phase. But while a relief for large numbers of firms struggling to meet the deadline, the concession still ignores calls from industry bodies to deploy a higher final capture threshold

Galapagos has triggered failure-to-pay credit event, says DC
Galapagos Holdings has triggered a failure-to-pay credit event on its 7% senior notes due 2022, the Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has ruled unanimously

Investor requirements rather than performance is driving ESG push: Creditflux survey
Only 14% of respondents to Creditflux's global credit ESG survey said performance was the main reason they were adopting envoronmental, social and governance-themed strategies

Galapagos failure-to-pay credit event posed to DC as bond grace period lapses
The Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has accepted a request to rule on whether Galapagos Holding, a former iTraxx Crossover index constituent, has triggered a failure-to-pay credit event

Weatherford CDS auction next week could have 17 deliverables
There are 17 notes on the initial list of deliverable obligations for an auction next week to settle Weatherford International CDS, the Americas Determinations Committee has said

BIS touts 'early warning measure' of national banking distress
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has proposed a CDS-based methodology it believes policymakers could use as an early warning measure of distress in national banking systems

Morgan Stanley becomes third bank in four months to join CDSClear
Morgan Stanley has signed up as a member of CDSClear at LCH SA

CDS has spillover effect on bond liquidity but could cause fire sales, finds BoE researcher
Single name CDS positioning is positive for the bonds of borrowers referenced by the contracts through a ‘liquidity spillover effect’, according to a new paper by a Bank of England research economist. But mark-to-market losses on CDS brought about by higher margining costs could lead to fire sales in the bond market, the paper adds.

Credit traders’ kickstand: curve flatteners and skew trades gain ground
Grinding tighter is the order of the day in credit markets – and indeed looks likely to be the order for much of next week, with an absence of obvious events and catalysts to dictate otherwise. But the strength of the rally in CDS indices has left ‘catch up’ opportunities for relative value traders in curve, basis and even skew based strategies, say market participants

Deutsche Bank AT1s stage uneven recovery as financials lag broader rally
The prompt secondary market backlash to Deutsche Bank’s plans for a major haul of its investment banking business has abated, with AT1 bonds experiencing a revival and outperforming equity. But while there has been little contagion to the rest of the AT1 space, financials are lagging the broader European credit rally

Weatherford faces credit event auction with 50% area recoveries implied
The Americas Credit Determinations Committee has agreed to hold an auction to settle CDS referencing Weatherford International, having ruled last week the Houston headquartered oilfield services provider had triggered a bankruptcy credit event