Credit Rendezvous: sometimes you have to dive deep to find value
Some parts of the credit market are fraught with danger, but that does not mean portfolio managers are avoiding them entirely, according to the Credit Rendezvous, Creditflux's 10-page quarterly report eaturing comments from 15 credit experts

[update] Beneath the triple C: theme parks take portfolios on downward ride
Seven corporate debt issuers were downgraded to triple C or below in September by Moody’s or Standard and Poor’s – hurting $2.16 billion of US CLO loans and €1.16 billion of European CLO portfolio. The pace of CLO loan downgrades to triple C has slowed steadily since the peak in April

High yield shorts and basis trades abound as borrowers race to issue
Discrepancies between high yield bonds and CDS could be a rich mine of activity in the coming months, say investors, with volatility set to rise while defaults and late cycle signals avail trading opportunities

Former LibreMax official reunites with colleague at distressed firm
A6 co-founder Michael Fine, former head of corporate credit at LibreMax, has appointed a former colleague as head of trading and research

Värde names deputy CEO and several promotions
The transitional appointments follow George Hicks, co-founder and co-CEO, saying in July last year he would move to an executive chair role by the end of 2021

Selecta splashes CLOs with bankruptcy credit event
Selecta Group has triggered a bankruptcy credit event, the Emea Determinations Committee has ruled

Tranche traders smell the coffee as Crossover default percolates
Selecta Group looks set to become the third European credit event in as many months to hit series 33 of the iTraxx Crossover index and tranches based on series 32

IG tranches look 'boring' after distressed names ejected at roll
September’s index rolls brought tranche traders some of the starkest portfolio changes in recent years, with fallen angels and defaults shifting correlation dynamics. This creates relative value openings, but investors will take longer to move into new series as they require extra analysis, say dealers.

CLO market splits en route to Volcker rule compliance
Volcker rule amendments freeing CLOs from many of the restrictions of the past decade came into law on 1 October, allowing managers greater flexibility in how they invest their portfolios. But the market is split on how exactly CLO documents should be structured as the first slate of unrestricted CLOs print

Points up front: A6, and with good reason
It’s not a hedge fund if it doesn’t have some sort of reference to nature, be it hills, mountains, trees or rivers. But when Michael Fine, the former head of corporate credit at LibreMax Capital, launched his distressed debt firm in July, he resisted the urge and came up with a heart-warming reason for naming his company A6

Credit hedge funds (October 2020)
Monthly credit hedge fund tables

Ucits at a glance: Advent and Algebris edge towards double digit returns
Two managers stand out in the Ucits rankings as they close in on 10% YTD figures

Credit funds at a glance (October 2020)
A round-up of fundraising and people moves

Fund performance: A third of funds reach positive territory in 2020
August has been another successful month for the CLO category as seven of the top 10 funds invest primarily in CLOs

SVP collects $1.65 billion for dislocation fund in four months
Strategic Value Partners has closed fundraising for its Strategic Value Dislocation Fund with around $1.65 billion in commitments

Credit fundraising: managers build homes for real estate credit funds
The “largest ever real estate credit fund” was one of the fundraising highlights last month as Blackstone’s Real Estate Debt Strategies IV fund reached $8 billion on its final close

Bain prepares credit dislocation strategy
Bain Capital Credit looks set to raise a fund dedicated to opportunities arising from credit dislocation, just four months after collecting $3.2 billion for its latest distressed debt and special situations vehicle

Mediobanca's private markets division raises $120 million for third fund
Mediobanca’s private banking division and Russell Investments have held a $120 million final close on a third private markets fund

Europe/US high yield gap re-opens with roll, but raises fair value questions
The semi-annual roll of US high yield index CDX HY has once again put daylight between it and European counterpart iTraxx Europe. But the new series has come in tighter than some market participants had anticipated

LP round up: $5 billion flows to credit as private market allocations increase
Global institutional investors allocated nearly $5 billion to credit funds this week, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Apollo launches another hybrid debt-equity value fund
Apollo's hybrid value strategy has the ability to invest in both credit and equity, focusing on capital solutions, structured equity and non-control stressed and distressed investments.

Fracking servicer FTS files for chapter 11 protection
Fracking servicer FTS International filed for chapter 11 protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas Houston yesterday. The credit is not widely featured in CLOs with only nine managers holding $47.9 million of FTI’s term loans

US investors piled into structured credit and private lending in 2019, Gapstow finds
US institutional investors' allocations to 'alternative credit' increased 12% year-over-year in 2019, according to research by fund of funds manager Gapstow Capital Partners

Sculptor promotes two after European credit head leaves for Pimco
Sculptor Capital Management has filled the void left by Mathieu Clavel, its former head of European and Asian corporate credit in Europe and Asia, by promoting two senior figures in its credit business

Credit retreats from tights as central banks offer reality check
European credit is following Asia wider today, picking up from where the US left off yesterday as the Federal Reserve vowed to keep overnight rates near zero for the coming years