Budge up, more new managers are coming

CLO issuance faces threat amid loan definition dispute
The clash over Millennium Laboratories’ bankruptcy could have ramifications for the CLO market, and it all hinges on the philosophical question: what is a loan?

Market bemoans Europe’s lack of CLO manager tiering
Manager tiering became a hot topic in Europe again last month following Credit Suisse Asset Management’s decision to break with tradition by syndicating its triple A notes in Madison Park Euro Funding XIV, rather than place the notes with an anchor investor.

Cayman Island hopping: EU laws provoke switch in CLO listings
The Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX) is set to become the listing place of choice in 2019 for CLOs put together by US managers — at least, according to a bold prediction by law firm Harneys.

Being fully invested can have a greater impact on IRRs than avoiding 2% defaults annually
The IRR differential can be as much as 3.3% for a fully invested CLO versus one that maintains a 5% cash balance

Doing CLOs is hard work as recovery lags
There’s scrutiny on staffing, structures and, of course, ‘the challenging arb’. But Q4 volatility created opportunity, which led speakers at the Creditflux CLO Symposium to ask for more

Baird targets CLO arranging business
A New York brokerage with a CLO trading business is making a pitch to be the first debut arranger of the year. According to market sources, RW Baird has hired CLO origination specialist Mario Verna with a view to building out a CLO primary business. In March, Verna left Guggenheim Securities, where he served on the CLO desk as a managing director.

Credit funds at a glance

Fund performance

Mizuho appoints US and European credit trading heads in leadership shake-up
The hires include a newly created CLO role, head of credit trading, and head of special situations and illiquid trading 

Ares hires Natixis deputy CEO for the Americas to credit investing role
Ares Management has poached the Americas deputy chief executive officer from Natixis's investment banking business

DFG hires experienced credit analyst in New York
DFG Investment Advisers has drafted in John Hwang as director and senior credit analyst on its leveraged credit team in New York

New investments drive Canada Pension Plan’s credit returns to 8.7%
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)’s credit portfolio has delivered good returns during the 2019 fiscal year, despite the market volatility, according to the institution’s annual financial report  

Superficial analysis in the press fails to account for critical differences between CLOs and CDOs
Credit risk is rising, but any failures among CLOs will not impact the financial system as a whole

Gateway sees an opening for CDOs with flexible mandates
Gateway Credit Partners is taking an unconventional route towards building a corporate credit management platform by creating its business around CDOs

It’s possible to be big — and still be picky

The Last Tranche: awards season is upon us [podcast]
A look at 2018 award offerings and finalist, plus some insight on direct lending and b-wics

Oak Hill reshuffles leadership in Europe
Oak Hill Advisors has appointed three long-serving members of its investment and business development teams to lead the European office

Loan trading round-up: CLO managers fall out of love with First Data
An analysis of loan trading among CLO managers in February shows that First Data is falling down the pecking order with managers selling $182 million of the company's loans

Large, liquid loans aren’t always perfect
CLOs could be forgiven for rushing to buy Refinitiv loans — after all it was the biggest LBO since the crisis. But some large managers have abstained, while others have bought opportunistically

Moving on from the late 2018 hangover
It might be too early to call a full recovery, but it’s fair to say that the US loan market is back on track with $48 billion of institutional issuance in 2019 — 88% of which is made up of new issues

Leveraged loans pose credit risk but not systemic risk, conference told
Regulators and the press need to understand the difference between credit risk and systemic risk, claimed panelists at the IMN European CLOs and Leveraged Loans conference

Debut manager touts non-ethical CLO
“We are looking at this as a sort of Darth Vader of CLOs,” says the firm's portfolio manager

US CLO managers look to scale flat WALs in search of flexibility
The anticipation of a downturn in the credit cycle has made investors turn their attention toward document provisions that give CLO managers flexibility