Monroe hires head of Asia as it opens Seoul office
US private credit firm Monroe Capital has hired a head of Asia to expand its presense in the region

Tabula launches ESG compliant Asia ex-Japan high yield ETF
Fixed income exchange traded fund provider Tabula Investment Management has launched what it says is Europe's first dollar-denominated Asia ex-Japan high yield corporate bond ETF compliant with environmental, social and governance standards

Credit funds at a glance (September 2021)
A round up of fundraising and people moves in credit

Taliban takeover likely to have long-term credit impact
Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban has barely caused a ripple in credit even regionally, but the power shift has wide-reaching implications that investors have yet to take onboard, say frontier market specialists

Reversal brings Chinese outperformance in credit
Credit market improvement hit an impasse in most jurisdictions during August, with range-trading in Europe, the US and much of emerging markets. But Asian credit, and Chinese markets in particular, enjoyed a strong run.

US spreads narrow gap with Europe as credit hits new record tights
Corporate credit spreads are exploring new tights for the year, with Europe taking its turn to grind inwards once again today after strong sessions in Asia earlier and the US on Tuesday

Chinese credit makes gains as Europe and US slump on Fed taper fears
Chinese credit spreads on Thursday depicted an island of optimism as global credit and stocks - including its own - slumped against a mounting confluence of concerns

Israeli fund looks beyond carry to discounted CLO double Bs
A CLO fund set up in Israel a year ago is looking to unlock value in double B-rated tranches and is finding opportunities in the primary market where junior CLO tranches are regularly pricing at a discount

China teaches tough lessons to foreign investors
China’s regulatory crackdown on some of its fastest-growing industries created shockwaves that have reverberated widely, dragging on US and European credit at the end of July.

Credit hedge funds (August 2021)
Credit hedge fund returns

US plays catch up with Europe as spreads reconverge
There has been a slight softening of European credit on Tuesday, even as stocks hold onto their record highs and US credit spreads take their chance to close the gap after recent underperformance

Middle east firm hires high profile loan official to build on control CLO equity business
Middle east asset manager Lakemore Partner is doubling down on CLOs with the control CLO equity investor hiring one of the biggest names in the loan and CLO management business

"China can act how it wants and when it wants in curbing the ambitions of tech firms… but sell offs tend to be opportunities for new buyer
China's latest moves to rein in private enterprise with new rules for education providers have certainly intensified the regulation risk landscape - but Welshcake asks whether this forthrightness could be instructive

Publishing boost for French firm but China sours wider market
Lagardere is a notable positive outlier in another off day for the credit market, after China turmoil rocked stocks and sent spreads wider

China crackdown and Fed meeting rattle nerves
Credit spreads widened as financial markets began the week on a less certain footing amid panic stock selling in China and a retreat to treasuries ahead of the US Federal Reserve two-day monetary policy meeting

Credit Rendezvous: And breathe...
The unanimous verdict is that credit spreads will be moving wider – they have to. But the difficulty credit fund managers face is predicting when the next sell-off comes and how sharp it will be. In the Q3 instalment of Creditflux’s Credit Rendezvous, the over-riding message from portfolio managers is that there’s little point in taking on too much risk. The report features the views of prominent credit figures including Paul Horvath (Orchard), Himani Trivedi (Nuveen), Ronnie Jaber (Onex), Graham Rainbow (Alcentra) and Michelle Russell-Dowe (Schroders). The report looks at 14 segments of the market including CLOs, direct lending, leveraged loans, distressed debt and credit derivatives.  

The View from ION Analytics: paradise blues
The reopening of economies from Covid-19 lockdowns has created distortions in financial markets that are harder to navigate than those of the original sell-off in early 2020. Even big-name economists and central bankers are confused, changing their views in recent weeks. 

Jefferies and SMBC form $2.25 billion partnership
Jefferies and SMBC Group have announced an alliance which will see SMBC provide a $1.9 billion credit facility to Jefferies Finance, the leveraged finance affiliate of Jefferies, and $350 million to Jefferies Group.

CSO pipeline strengthens following ESG breakthrough
ESG criteria and longer investment horizons are driving new business in a resurgent bespoke tranche market, say dealers. And while this is unlikely to get 2021 near to a 2019-like haul of deals by year end, hopes are high that volume is firmly back on an upwards traject

They said it: "A lot of value was lost due to CLO window dressing"
"A lot of value was lost due to CLO window dressing"

Credit hedge funds (July 2021)
Credit hedge fund returns

Muzinich launches APAC private debt fund with DBS as anchor investor
Muzinich has launched an Asian special situations fund named Muzinich Asia Pacific Private Debt I

HSBC AM names CEO of new $53bn alternatives business
HSBC Asset Management has become the latest manager to bring together its ‘alternatives’ capabilities under one roof, with the launch of a new unit, HSBC Alternatives

Shipping firm adds buoyancy amid few signs of choppiness in credit
CMA CGM, the French container shipping company, is a big mover today amid very calm waters elsewhere in credit.