Liberty pulls off successful equity b-wic auction
The first successful equity b-wic following the pandemic selloff took place last month, with several sources telling Creditflux that insurance company Liberty Mutual was behind the auction

Investors take comfort from an active secondary market, but liquidity can be a mixed blessing
One of the most interesting characteristics of credit behaviour during the coronavirus era has been the momentum of junk bonds, with sharp changes in issuer and investor confidence around the asset class driven by technical factors: near-zero interest rates, the Fed’s support of fallen angels and skewed-to-worse ratings for leveraged loans

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"

Go for short-duration and high-end CLO paper, says JP Morgan
This year is shaping up to be nearly as weak for CLO new issuance as 2008, according to JP Morgan strategists, who recommend investors seek value in short duration double/triple A paper or in higher-tier triple/double B

CLO double Bs on sale as sub-investment grade rally fizzles out
After more than a month of rapid tightening, CLO double Bs trended wider last week by roughly 60 basis points, as the market for these sub-investment grade tranches stabilises in the mid-800s

Fair Oaks tops up on double B CLO tranches in May
Fair Oaks topped up on double B-rated CLO tranches in its listed CLO fund in May, adding $79 million par value of BB-rated paper

Global CLO b-wic round-up: US triple Bs edge wider but 2020 bonds trade at a premium
The furious rally that the secondary CLO markets have gone through over the last two weeks was brought a halt by the Federal Reserve’s reminder on Wednesday night that all is still not well with the economy

Global CLO b-wic round-up: double Bs lead the way as rally endures and drags equity with it
The CLO secondary market continued its hard rally last week as prices rose across the whole asset class with double B rated CLO bonds leading the charge tighter

CIFC CLO funds outperform after using tech to identify tail risks
CIFC Asset Management has been using technology to its advantage as two of its CLO funds were in the top 10 of our credit hedge fund return tables in April

CLO double Bs go on late night b-wic as spreads tighten sharply
Investors are piling into junior US CLO tranches as traders begin to see economic recovery following the pandemic

Euro CLO investors look to cash in as market confidence returns
A mixed b-wic comprised of €35 million European CLO tranches is on offer at 9.30am New York time Tuesday, with investors looking to capitalise on tightening spreads as confidence gradually returns to the market

Global CLO b-wic round-up: secondary prices reach March levels
The Memorial Day bank holiday in the US and the late May bank holiday in the UK meant a short week for CLO trading, but that did not stop a good supply of US CLO triple A rated paper making its way to the secondary market

Denominator effect expected to drive LP-led private debt secondaries
Institutional investors are expected to engage in rebalancing trades to counter the 'denonimator effect', a move that should lead to an increase in private debt secondary trades

Europe’s newcomers find ways to stand out
Last year’s new European CLO managers needed to provide something different for investors. In general, they’ve succeeded, with Capital Four having one of the smallest overlap figures in our data

CLOs face trading restrictions as bankruptcies mount
CLO managers could be handcuffed in impending bankruptcies if tranche downgrades continue and restricted trading periods kick in

A different kind of crisis
Panellists on Creditflux’s US CLO webinar were positive about the robustness of CLO structures and the role of cure contributions. But they warned about zombie defaults and gaming tests

CLOs at a glance: Momentum starts to gather in primary market
Primary issuance is picking up with 13 CLOs pricing globally in May as Creditflux goes to press

European CLO trader set to join Axa IM
An experienced CLO trader in London is going to be taking on his first buy-side role, sources say

European investors eye 180bp pick-up on triple B CLOs traded in April
A b-wic consisting of mostly European triple B CLOs that traded in late April is on offer at 9.30am New York time tomorrow, according to market sources, as data shows spreads for the rating band averaging 546 basis points over Euribor as of 27 May

ABS market holds strong as talf date approaches
The US Federal Reserve announced last week that the term ABS loan facility's first subscription date for loans backed by eligible asset-backed securities (ABS) will be 17 June, but before the Fed has even spent a dollar, talf has already been a success, says Tom Sweeney, co-head of structured credit finance at DWS Asset Management.

Global CLO b-wic round up: dealer bid strengthens secondary CLO market across the board
The US CLO secondary market had over $1 billion listed in b-wics last week, the first time at this level in three weeks according to CLO-i. A further €270 million went on sale in the European CLO secondary market, as the dealer bid returned to assist in continued tightening across the capital stack

Beneath the triple C: April showers send buckets overboard
Downgrade waves rocked the CLO market in April as Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded 135 corporate borrowers to triple C or below, from ratings above that level. The downgrades put CLOs in rough waters as $41.6 billion of such loans are prevalent in US CLOs while €5.64 are moored in European CLO portfolios – affecting 5.92% of the US market and 4.37% of the European market

Prophet closing hedge fund due to weak CLO liquidity
Prophet Capital is winding down its $500 million-plus CLO and structured credit hedge fund. The firm cites poor liquidity and uncertain valuations as the biggest factors behind its decision

CLOs at a glance
A round-up of CLO primary and secondary