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

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

Global CLO b-wic round-up: equity makes a return as investors search for price levels
Three European CLO equity bonds have traded with colour attached in the last two weeks in the secondary market

CLO market braces for another wave of loan downgrades
A wave of negative rating actions swept the leveraged loan and CLO market in April. “Companies will look to secure incremental capital which will lead to further rating pressure,” says Philip Raciti, portfolio manager and head of US performing credit at Bardin Hill Investment Partners

Seven points basis opens up in CLO triple Bs - but Investcorp trades well to defy trend
Triple B rated tranches once again swamped the secondary CLO market yesterday and trading levels suggest the basis between bonds on negative watch/outlook versus those not subject to a downgrade is about seven points

US and European CLO triple Bs hit secondary market as downgrade fear sets in
Downgrade risk is being priced into triple B-rated CLO tranches, according to market sources, after a wave of mezzanine and junior CLO debt tranches swept onto b-wics yesterday

Global CLO b-wic round-up: spreads tighten across the board as bond-flex CLOs trade well
Price levels have tightened and, more importantly, stabilised across the secondary CLO market over the last two weeks, but the Easter break led to a drop off in CLO b-wic supply

Secondary CLO debt trades well but Trace suggests CLO equity trading at 12 cents
A variety of CLO paper was in for the bid yesterday with US secondary CLO volumes reaching $281 million, and European volumes hitting €74 million

Liquidity ends at double Bs as European CLO single Bs struggle in secondary
European CLO single Bs are struggling to clear in the secondary market with sources indicating these positions are valued at about 30 cents

Global CLO b-wic round-up: $8 billion of US CLOs listed in record-breaking March
Last week brought an end to the busiest month in both the US and European CLO secondary markets since at least 2014. $7.7 billion of US CLO paper was on sale in March with a further €1.8 billion of European CLO bonds available, bringing the total listed in Q1 to $13.9 billion and €3.6 billion

Benchmark European 2020 CLO trades 11 points down in secondary
A senior European CLO investor has flipped €21.9 million worth of notes onto the secondary market, selling eight of nine line items via a b-wic, sources say. Meanwhile, US CLO trading switched from being investment grade focused over the last month to being centred on below IG tranches yesterday: IG volumes reached $574 million versus $926 million for lower rated tranches

The opportunities to build par and spread within a CLO haven’t been this plentiful since 2009
Last year’s CLOs could become the benchmark for manager performance

Structured credit dragged very wide — but CLOs stand to gain
Senior tranches of securitisations widened 220% in less than a month as the coronavirus pandemic has meant an increase in systemic risk — a sharp turnaround from the past few months when idiosyncratic risks were being cited as the main concern for structured credit investors.

‘Hoard credit’ says PM as markets swing
As Creditflux went to press, the covid-19 death toll in Italy surged by 700 after two days of slowing, and the US congress agreed a $2 trillion stimulus package.

CDS show the way as prices move and volumes surge
CDS volumes provide an eye-opening view of how the asset class has grown in prominence during the coronavirus pandemic, with index trading near doubling year-to-date on 2019, even as secondary bond markets hit lockdown.

Managed accounts pose flexibility check for direct lenders
Direct lenders are closely analysing portfolio companies hit by coronavirus volatility for signs of financial stress, ready to inject capital and extend flexibility to companies where needed.

European CLO triple Bs go from 99 to 73 in less than a month
European CLO mezzanine prices have fallen by almost 30 cents in less than a month, with a b-wic yesterday featuring a 2019 PGIM-managed CLO underlining the dramatic decline

Global CLO b-wic round-up: CLO triple As recover but mezz left behind
The CLO secondary market was a tale of two halves last week. 100% of all bonds listed in b-wics on Monday and Tuesday had no covers released (either traded or did not trade), but the end of the week was a different story for both markets

European CLO triple As bounce back in secondary market
European CLO triple As have begun tightening in the secondary market with sources indicating that by Friday, these notes were trading at 250 basis points, which is down from about 400bp a week ago

Global CLO b-wic round-up: triple A volumes hit nine-year highs, but equity valuations could be "single digits"
Over $2.5 billion of US CLO paper listed in b-wics in last week's manic trading, with a further €435 million of European CLO bonds also on sale. CLO buyers and sellers turned to the safest part of the capital structure – the triple A rated notes – and away from its most illiquid asset class, with no equity bonds listed in either market

Secondary CLO triple As slump below October levels
The secondary CLO market is showing no sign of stopping the rut with triple A rated paper in European and US markets displaying more weakness

Global CLO b-wic round-up: sellers flock to secondary market as trade rate hits 71%
The broader market sell-off reached CLOs last week, with investors lining up to list their positions in the CLO secondary market

Secondary CLO volumes jump as investors shed triple Bs into volatility
CLO investors are putting together the pieces after a volatile week, in which investmemt grade-rated tranches have changed hands but with limited visibility on pricing

Tranche traders aim to navigate default risk while staying clear of coronavirus contagion
The CDS market is navigating between two sources of risk for equity and mezzanine high yield index tranches. The default of US media company McClatchy has focused idiosyncratic concerns, while the spread of the coronavirus has stoked fears of a systemic sell-off.

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.