We’ve survived before, we can do so again
$7.8 billion of CLO collateral, split evenly between the US and Europe, is in the loans that have fallen fastest in the past month. But short term CLO pain will bring opportunities for building par

Making arb work of it

Dispersion tests hedge fund managers

Making arb work of it
In 2019, some CLO managers hoped that good timing would enable them to lock in favourable arbitrage levels, but others opted for aggressive or conservative tactics when building portfolios. 

Euro CLO league tables: refi market opens up to give KKR best of both worlds
European CLO issuance in October crossed €5 billion for the second month this year as managers took advantage of falling spreads and increased demand. In one example, KKR obtained tight senior CLO financing to go with tight mezz spreads from 2017 in a demonstration of expert timing 

CLO pipeline: Capital time to debut in Europe as liability spreads drop
CLO managers are showing no signs of slowing down, as a further 16 US and five European new issue CLOs, including Capital Four's CLO management debut, appear in the pipeline

Global CLO round-up: Europe mops up demand, as Euribor hits the floor
The final stretch of the year began with a bang, with the first week of Q4 bringing $3.3 billion of CLO issuance in the US and €1.2 billion in Europe. But the resurgence in volumes was not the only talking point last week, with Europe coming into focus as spreads surfed tighter

European CLO spreads reach new tights as BlackRock prices new issue
European CLOs reached new record tights yesterday as BlackRock and Credit Suisse priced the tightest new issue for over 12 months

CLO investor looks to offload US and European anchor equity positions
There are two controlling CLO equity stakes up for sale today with a 2017 European deal and a reissued US transaction going under the hammer

BlackRock becomes fifth European CLO manager to refinance
BlackRock today became the latest European CLO manager to join the budding refinancing wave, having teamed up with Morgan Stanley to reprice the debt liabilities of BlackRock European CLO II

New kids on the block dominate awards

Spire scales heights as Creditflux’s Manager of the Year 2019
Spire Partners celebrated bringing home three Creditflux awards, including the coveted Manager of the Year trophy, on a night of high spirits on 8 May at London’s Landmark Hotel.

Points up front: CLO awards banter
The Creditflux Manager Awards have a history of springing surprises. This year we had journalist and TV presenter Gavin Esler host the awards dinner and regale the audience with a Dolly Parton gag (the less said about that, the better).

Spire wins Creditflux Manager of the Year award
Spire Partners was the big winner at Creditflux's Manager Awards last night as the London-based manager scooped the award for the manager of the year. On top of this, the firm picked up awards for Best European CLO Manager and Best European CLO for Aurium CLO II

Control equity available in BlackRock CLO just one month after first payment
Control equity in BlackRock's 2018 European CLO is up for auction today at 10am New York time (3pm London), according to market sources

BlackRock prices European CLO senior triple As at 108.5bp in new issue deal
Natixis has priced BlackRock European CLO VIII in a €408.5 million deal

CLO pipeline: managers seek to return as others arrive, after testing Q1
With the first quarter of 2019 now in the books, the CLO market looks to be continuing where it left off.

Keep calm and buy corporate loans
Calm heads prevailed in 2018. Markets were volatile and risk retention was supposed to cause problems, but there was no need to panic and volumes went on to break records set in 2014

BlackRock prices €411.25 million CLO via Barclays
BlackRock priced its third new issue European CLO yesterday in a €411.25 million transaction arranged by Barclays

BlackRock becomes latest manager to explore interval fund structure for credit
Several managers have hit the market with the interval fund structure, as investors look to invest in illiquid strategies through an illiquid fund structure

BlackRock names head of US CLO business, reports Reuters
BlackRock has appointed Owen Butler to lead its US CLO business, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters

CLO round-up: reset triple As price apart on divergent portfolios
CLO spreads have been volatile of late with seemingly no consistency in triple A CLO prints from deal to deal. In a reset-heavy week, BlackRock and Marathon Asset Management were positioned at opposite ends of the spectrum

Global CLO manager prices ninth transaction of 2018 as spreads widen
A global CLO manager teamed up with Citi yesterday to issue its sixth new European CLO

BlackRock poaches CLO tranche portfolio manager from London-based firm
BlackRock has hired a CLO investment specialist in London