Traders hunt for Monday bargains in Black Friday debris
The turmoil of Black Friday has given way to a counter-wise move on Monday, with financial markets latching onto scraps of hope over the weekend following the panic of a newly discovered covid-19 variant

US travel, energy and retail credits take big hit as variant rout extends
The widening trend in credit is extending as the weekend approaches, with US spreads picking up the baton from Europe's earlier surge

Past form points to bleak picture for IG fund flows as new covid variant emerges: BofA
With a new covid-19 variant for investors to worry about, faltering high grade fund flows face additional headwinds versus high yield and government bonds

Nu variant panic sends credit spreads to the year's wides
The discovery of a new covid-19 variant has routed financial markets at the end of what had already been a dour week, sending credit spreads to their widest of the year

Convergence traders dine out as Europe widens in US absence
Traders betting on Europe / US credit convergence have much to be thankful for on Thursday, with the gap between investment grade CDS spreads having vanished and high yield noticeably reduced

Dispersion returns at wide end as credit deterioration extends
Credit spreads are back to their widest since mid-October - and approaching the year's extremes - amid a second straight session of sharp deterioration

Loans will be winners in bearish year for credit: BNP Paribas
Floating rate loans are best positioned for a year of widening credit spreads, but high yield bonds will outperform investment grade and EM credit is set for losses, says BNP Paribas in its 2022 outlook

Spreads jump wider as Fed chair gets another four years
Financial markets have not reacted well to the nomination of US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for another four-year term, taking this as signal for a more hawkish path of policy

BlueBay launches Article 8 multi-asset credit fund with Lloyds of London backing
The Article 8 fund will invest in high yield, bank loans, financial capital bonds, structured credit, convertible bonds, emerging markets and developed market investment grade

Telco and retailer gap wider as PE firms circle
Telecom Italia is one of the Monday credit market's biggest underperformers, in an otherwise finely poised start to the week

Covid fourth wave lockdowns hit credit with travel cos under pressure
A flattish week in credit gave way to a spread widening move on Friday, as investor concern focused on a fourth wave of covid-19 cases in Europe and further signs of Chinese economic slowdown

BNP Paribas bolsters credit business with European strategy head hire
BNP Paribas is looking to strategy to help drive growth in its credit business and has hired a head of European credit strategy from UBS 

Citadel promotes credit head to co-CIO
Citadel has promoted its global credit head to co-chief investment officer

Slow and sustainable trades will win race in '22: BofA
A year on from the US presidential election and unveiling of covid-19 vaccines, the credit compression looks challenged. But 'laggards' and sectors with strong capex growth still hold promise

Credit bull run falters as central bank glow abates
Thoughts that the credit market had taken a positive directional shift are turning, after Tuesday’s session has brought a sizeable retracement wider, but credit strategists predict an overall firming of tone into the end of the year off the back of dovish central bank meetings

CB bond purchase 'greening' is game changer for credit: BofA
Confirmation by the Bank of England that its corporate bond purchase scheme will be ‘greened’ is a game changing moment for credit markets, say Bank of America strategists

Citi's former correlation trading star takes on new risk head role
Citi's former head of credit correlation trading has taken on a new role in the bank, becoming head of in-business market risk for global markets

Europe dominates ESG issuance, but US is racing to catch up: BofA
The stark gap between European and other regions in issuing ESG bonds has been thrown into the spotlight by last week’s COP26 summit. Nevertheless, encouraging data suggests the US is accelerating fast in its drive to bridge the gulf, finds Bank of America

Earnings season and lifted hedges return credit to best levels in more than month
What began as a cautious, risk-averse week for the credit market is ending with a distinctly more bullish tone, with a fourth successive day of improvement taking spreads to their tightest levels for over a month

"Growth in credit products lets investors express sector-specific views as dispersion ticks higher"
Investors can use ETFs, volatility dispersion swaps or even bond baskets to trade dispersion

It's a-live! AI platform launch puts US ratings in spotlight
RoboR8, a fintech platform that aims to democratise credit ratings through artificial intelligence, has launched and hopes to rate 50,000 companies by the end of December, before building to several million in 2022.

Tantrum time: investors brace for Fed to taper bond buying
The US Federal Reserve’s likely decision to curb its $120 billion-a-month bond purchase programme is looming as Creditflux goes to press

Credit rallies on Fed and BofE rates signals, but starting gun fires on tapering
Credit and equity markets have responded well to the US Federal Reserve unveiling much anticipated plans to begin tapering asset purchases, while vouching it will stay patient on hiking interest rates. The Bank of England followed this on Thursday by holding its rates at 0.1%

Fund performance: Dominant CLO funds look to end the year with 20%-plus gains
Once again the Creditflux hedge fund top 10 is dominated by CLO funds, with seven funds among the best performers in September.

Credit hedge funds (November 2021)
Credit hedge fund returns