IHS Markit mulls CDX EM growth and iTraxx ESG screen
Increasing the portfolio size of CDX EM and consulting on an ethically-screened version of iTraxx Europe are among the projects index administrator IHS Markit has been working on ahead of the 20 March roll.

Covid-19 outbreak rattles carry traders
The coronavirus panic hitting financials markets at the end of February has been a strong driver of relative value trades, with CDS underperforming both cash bonds and equity, while financial names felt the heat more than corporate borrowers as geographical risk came into play.

Axiom seeks high yield sweet spot with long-short fund
Axiom Alternative Investments is set to launch a long-short fund that will identify mispricings of high yield credit arising from the prolonged compression of spreads between different rating bands.

Credit funds at a glance
A round-up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Fund performance: CLO funds pick up where they left off
A round-up of fund performance

Huge CDS gap yawns between US and Europe, despite Fed intervention
Having crossed paths in a rare moment of compression on Monday, iTraxx Europe and its US counterpart CDX IG have since undergone one of their biggest moments of dislocation since the global financial crisis, as an emergency rate cut by the Federal Reserve failed to comfort investors about the impact of the coronavirus on the US economy

McClatchy bonds point to 50 cent CDS pay-out as auction deliverables finalised
McClatchy CDS in on course to pay out around 50 cents, based on cheapest bonds to deliver, after the Americas Determinations finalised five deliverable obligations for the media company’s credit event auction next week

Europe rallies hard after CDX IG closes tighter for first time since June
Volatility in credit remains heightened due to the coronavirus outbreak, but movement has become two-way, with European CDS indices surging tighter today after US index CDX IG ended yesterday’s session tighter than iTraxx Europe for the first time in nine months

McClatchy initial list points to 48 cent CDS pay-out
McClatchy CDS looks set to pay out around 47.5 cents to protection holders, if bonds on an initial list of deliverable obligations for the media company’s credit event auction make it to the final list

CDS takes brunt of coronavirus panic sell-off
European credit derivatives are among the hardest hit assets today amid a broad sell-off, as the fast spread of the coronavirus into Italy, Korea and Iran has brought a reappraisal of the impact it could have on financial markets

Credit traders’ kickstand: weaker mood, but primary drive strengthens
The primary market for high yield bonds is open again, after a pause around the US holiday on Monday, with issues in Europe today from the likes of SIlgan and Catalent striking a bullish tone and setting the scene for an expected flurry of deals next week. But this comes as credit generally weakens, with concerns about the spread and reappraisal of coronavirus cases causing spreads to push back from their recent tights

McClatchy CDS auction set for 10 March, despite fast-track request
Dealers on the Americas Determinations Committee have unanimously agreed to hold an auction to settle McClatchy CDS on 10 March, ignoring a request to expedite the process ahead of the media company’s scheduled plan of reorganisation

Super-fast CDS auction demanded on McClatchy
The DC has ruled that media company McClatchy triggered a bankruptcy credit event on 13 February. But it is yet to set a date for the credit event auction

McClatchy bankruptcy adds to slew of US media credit events
The McClatchy Company, a media sector constituent of CDS index CDX HY, has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Americas Determinations Committee has ruled

Whiting Petroleum CDS gaps wider as it engages debt advisors
Credit event concerns have taken CDX HY constituent Whiting Petroleum to a recent wide print, after the energy exploration firm’s management held talks with advisors to find ways to remedy its capital structure

Sprint Comms CDS races tighter on T-Mobile merger nod
Sprint Communications, a telco constituent of US high yield index CDX HY, was by far the biggest mover in CDS yesterday, after the Federal Court in New York approved the company’s proposed merger with T-Mobile US

TUI enjoys 100bp two-week getaway
TUI is today’s biggest mover among constituents of CDS index iTraxx Crossover, after the Hannover headquartered travel company said it recorded its highest ever booking volumes in January – seizing market share after the collapse of UK rival Thomas Cook

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

Citi reallocates credit index trading as veteran moves to buy side
A senior Citi credit official has expanded his remit following the departure of a veteran credit index trader

2020 will be about relative value, watching for idiosyncratic risk and a good deal of running away
Investors must embrace change — it’s time for structured credit investors to look beyond vanilla CLOs

Correlation rise stokes mezz rally but adds to CSO woes
Below the calm surface of the credit market, correlation has been churning and creating dislocations rich with reward for index tranche traders but complicating bespoke issuance, say sources.

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).

Fund performance: Presents under the tree as CLO funds perform

Credit funds at a glance