February 2024 US Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire today releases the February 2024 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets.

Covenants update: State of the US Loan Market 4Q23
Xtract Research has published its 4Q23 report into the state of the US loan market. Highlights from the report include the following.

November 2023 US Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire today releases the November 2023 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets

State of the US Loan Market 3Q23 - Xtract Special Report
The US leveraged loan market continued to languish in 3Q23, but the average covenant score for large Sponsor loans bounced back somewhat from its precipitous decline in 2Q23 according to this special report

Lumen Technologies ad-hoc group preps competing proposal
The refinancing of Lumen Technologies, currently held by 1311 different CLOs with a combined principal balance of USD 3.8bn, took a new twist today as details of a competing proposal emerged

Aquarian buys minority stake in Obra
Obra Capital revealed in Monday that it had sold a minority equity ownership stake to Aquarian Holdings

Illinois police pension fund opens search for credit managers

The fund plans to start investing in US leveraged loans and increase allocations for private credit

Santander taps Credit Suisse dealmaker

Santander Corporate and Investment Banking hires new managing director from Credit Suisse

Envision Healthcare draws lawsuit from fourth out lenders
A group of “fourth out” lenders to Envision Healthcare have lodged an adversary complaint over its 2022 drop-down recapitalization and subsequent ‘uptier’ exchange

June 2023 US Leveraged Highlights
Debtwire has released the June 2023 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high yield bond markets.

Antares closes second senior loan fund with $6 billion
Private credit manager closes second round of senior loan fund with roughly $6 billions in commitments. 

May 2023 US Leveraged Highlights
Leveraged investors continue to favor bonds to loans, according to the Debtwire May 2023 US Leveraged Highlights, featuring key trends in the leveraged loan and high yield bond markets.

CLO managers to jump into action as Covanta loan proposal omits spread adjustment
Covanta Holdings is the latest example of a US loan issuer looking to switch benchmark from Libor to Sofr, but without an accompanying credit spread adjustment

51% of investors plan to increase loan allocation in next 12 months: State Street survey
State Street surveyed 700 global institutional investors  on how they view the fixed income market and how they are allocating amid ongoing market volatility.

MidOcean seeks "off-the-run" loans and bonds for third tactical credit fund
MidOcean Partners is seeking to raise capital for its third tactical credit fund, MidOcean Tactical Credit Fund III

CLO managers in the mix for first US credit event auction since 2020
CDS contracts referencing Talen Energy Supply will be settled by credit event auction next month. And Talen's recovery levels will have relevance for a number of CLO managers that have held onto the company's debt - in some cases having bought more very recently

State Street and Blackstone target US CLOs, high yield and senior loans for ETF
State Street Global Advisors has teamed up with Blackstone Credit to launch a new exchange traded fund named SPDR Blackstone High Income ETF

Gapstow expects strategic deals as credit manager M&A volume slumps to $120 billion
M&A volume involving credit asset managers dropped last year with total target value assets under management slumping to $120 billion from $149 billion in 2020 (and $254 billion in 2019), according to Gapstow Capital Partners

Lev loan index rule change proposed to meet Sofr switch
Leveraged loan index stakeholders are being asked for feedback on a proposal that would allow the inclusion of loans linked to Sofr and scrap a minimum spread rule

Lingering covid vies with inflation as top credit threat, finds BofA
Covid-19 lingering is catching up with inflation as credit investors' number one worry, Bank of America's August survey has found. The picture for central bank purchases is bullish, but strategists see industrial and bank senior bonds as shorts for contrarians over the summer

It's all relative: IG index drifts wide of 50bp as European CLO triple Bs outperform
US investment grade credit has been an underperformer in the last few weeks with CDX IG trading north of 50 basis points again. But European CLO triple Bs are looking strong while there is a stronger bid for two- to three-year paper in the US

It's all relative: CDX HY touches record tights but junior US CLO tranches leak wider
Credit spreads are marching tighter, but someone forgot to tell the CLO market. European and US CDS spreads have moved in step with each other for the most part with investment grade and high yield tightening 4-6% in the last week, whereas CLOs have been losing ground

First Eagle opts to liquidate listed US loan fund
First Eagle Alternative Credit is in the process of liquidating its publicly listed, closed-ended credit fund, First Eagle Senior Loan Fund

Four managers win lucrative $700 million credit mandate
A $39 billion pension has selected four managers for an opportunistic credit mandate and identified a further four ‘bench’ managers 

ESG was factor when firing managers for 42% of investors, survey reveals
The latest survey from investment consultant Bfinance shows the coronavirus pandemic increased focus on ESG issues for over a third of investors - and ESG is important when selecting external asset managers