Market Commentaries



Eur/GBP

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Feedback on Commentaries and Analysis is welcome
Sheil Aggarwal


select * from bbg_commentary where 1=1 order by date desc
  • 5 April 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    36 trades today with $65m of liquidity, CLO spreads firmer and US LL Index +18bp dod.  AAA trades are grinding towards par with our AAA index 131dm.  A high coupon 2nd pay LCM 19A BR covers at par ceiling at 175dm / 1.8y WAL (post reinv / high coupon +175bps) which is the first AAA to trade at par ceiling since the Ukraine invasion. 

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    3 x single-As trade 250dm-254dm close to our our single-A index 248dm, the 3 trades are shorter dated (EoRP 2022-2023) and trade wide to our index given performance (ADRs 0.75-1.8), cuspy Jnr OC cushions (0.9-2.2) and coupons <200bps.  At BBB there are 10 trades in a 328dm-371dm range (our BBB index is in the middle of this range 354dm).  One outlier trade GLD11 2015-11A DR2 CVR 98.48 at 274dm / 5.1y WAL (EoRP 2023) with a low coupon+240bps.  At BB there are 5 trades in a 604dm-677dm range (our BB index 741dm) with trades carrying bond coupons as low as +530bps (range is +530bps-630bps) this accounts for execution inside our index.  Best execution level is driven by coupon HLM 2021-16A E covers 98.26 at 677dm / 9.7y WAL (EoRP 2027) with a +650bps coupon, MVOC 106.8 and strong Jnr OC cushion 5.2.

    EUR AAA CLO

    There are 7 x AAA trades today. The average traded spread is +107 which is about 10bps tighter on our AAA curve. In reality the AAA spreads have probably been tightening over a few days but we can measure it when we see a number of BWIC trades. Aurium 3 traded the tightest at +96 because it is amortising and has only a 1.7yr WAL. Even Voya Euro 4 with a 5.6yr WAL traded at +111.


  • 4 April 2022

    EUR AAA CLO

    Just 1 x AAA today. Madison Park 14 traded at +117 which is close to where the ICG Euro 2021-2 reset is talked.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    2 x BBs have traded, both around +710 which compares with M700s talk on ICG Euro 2021-2. These levels indicate a tightening in the BB space of 20 to 30 bps, albeit based on 2 trades.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    Lots of EMEA ABS/RMBS trades today. 1st priority autos (Italian) have traded at 50dm. 2nd priority autos have traded around 100dm. 1st priority consumer loans have traded around L50s dm. 1st priority RMBS have traded around 20s to 30s dm to step up. A lot of 1.0 bonds have traded. Mostly the senior bonds and in a 50s to 70s dm context to maturity.


  • 1 April 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    15 trades today as first day of the month with only $47m of liquidity, spreads are firmer with US LL Index +15bp dod.  AAA trading is close to 120dm territory for shorter wal bonds in reinvestment (with lower margin structures) as execution levels creep back towards par.  Our AAA index tightens to 131dm. 

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    3 x BBB trades with shorter wal trade 387dm-405dm which is wide to our index 356dm given these bonds are either high coupon (+360bps area) or have credit/MV issues (Jnr OC cushions cuspy, MVOC 107-108, ADR around 1%).  5 x BB bonds trade in a 660dm-770dm range with reinvesting bonds 660dm-766dm and our BB index is 744dm, bonds tight to this index are lower coupon (early 600s coupons) whilst TSYMP 2016-1A ER2 covers 98.08 at 714dm / 6.6y WAL – the MVOC is at the lower end 104.8 but other metrics are clean and trades in 2.5m.  1 x single-B trade which we have not seen for a while now, RSRVA 2016-3A FRR (Invesco) covers 93.27 at 975dm / 8.9y WAL – this bond is in reinvestment (EoRP 2026), +851bps coupon and generally clean metrics and is met with execution inside 1000dm proving there is some more risk appetite from investors.


  • 31 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $101m of liquidity today (month end) with bonds from all rating categories trading, US LL Index +13bp dod.  CAVU 2019-1A A1 (Trimaran) covers near par 99.89 at 149dm / 4.1y WAL, this is a high coupon (+146bps) 1st pay AAA with EoRP 2024, strong MVOC 163.8 and clean metrics hence is well bid near par.  Our AAA index is 132dm as proxy for reinvesting 1st pay AAA.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    AA bonds trade 149dm-170dm which is tighter to our AA index 185dm given the short nature of the bonds and low coupons on offer (+130-155bps).  Best execution for a reinvesting bond is MILOS 2017-1A BR CVR (Invesco) CVR 99.35 at 174dm / 3.6y WAL, wal is at the shorter end given EoRP is Oct 2022 whilst coupon is still towards the lower end +155bps and metrics are good.  Single-A bonds trade in a tight dispersion 198dm-217dm and 0.8pt cash px dispersion.  WALs are short with clean bond/deal metrics and coupons are towards the lower end (+180-205bps) hence trending inside our single-A index 249dm.  Best execution is reserved for the highest coupon on offer at the single-A level (+205bps) DRSLF 2017-47A CR CVR 99.7 at 214dm / 3.6y WAL with the bond post reinvestment (Jan-22).  BBB trade 323dm-523dm with our BBB index 356dm.  ANCHC 2020-16A DR covers at its par ceiling at 371dm / 8.7y WAL (EoRP 2027, high coupon +372bps, clean metrics – MVOC 112.8).  The outlier trades in terms of dm driven by a combination of higher coupon bonds with lower MVOC, eg. MVW 2013-1A DR (Seix) CVR 95.66 at 523dm / 4.9y WAL with a +415bps coupon but low MVOC 105.8 and elevated ADR 2.1 with Sub80 bucket high at 3.2 / Jnr OC cushion cuspy 1.1.  At BB the trading range is 761dm-858dm with our BB index 746dm, bonds that executed today wide of this index level have lower MVOC levels (102.8-104.7) and low coupons (+570-665bps).  However AWPT 2021-12A E covers at 96.16 at 806dm / 6.9y WAL – MVOC is 104.7 and metrics are clean, coupon is relatively high +727bps but ArrowMark’s manager record which is only slightly below benchmark appears to impact upon execution.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    A good number of mezz bonds have traded today. There are 2 x A trades. Oak Hill 3 traded at +230. This deal is amortising. Albacore 3 traded at +273. The new issue market edged wider with the single A’s off BCCE 2022-1 pricing at +350. After a month or two where the secondary market was leading the primary market in going wider it is now signalling that there is scope for the new issue market to start tightening in the near future.

    The 2 x BBB trades are at +390 and +410. Both of these are short bonds and one deal is amortising. But this compares with +460 on BCCE 2022-1.

    The 3 x BB trades have traded in a +630 to +710 range. Again these are all fairly short bonds but for comparison BCCE 2022-1 priced at +760.

    The 4 x B trades are between +860 and +1010. BCCE 2022-1 priced at +1050.


  • 30 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $64m of liquidity today across the stack, CLO spreads firmer and US LL Index +18bp dod.  2 x AAA trades today in a 126dm-130dm range with both bonds in reinvestment, the manager is Carlyle on both bonds.  We maintain our AAA index firm at 132dm given the clips are fairly small ($8.5m).

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    Firmer AA trading with $37M of liquidity in a 177dm-202dm range whilst our AA index tightens to 189dm, best execution for a reinvesting bond is WOODS 2019-18A BR CVR 99.21 at 202dm / 5.2y WAL (Angelo, Gordon) with an EoRP 2024, strong coupon +185bps and Jnr OC cushion 4.3 despite an elevated ADR 1.2 and mid end MVOC 126.  2 x BBB trades with only one in reinvestment, SYMP 2021-26A DR CVR near par 99.76 at 345dm / 6.4y WAL (TIAA is the manager) with an EoRP 2024 and coupon >300bps (+340bps) and extremely strong metrics (Jnr OC cushion 5.9, MVOC 109) - we shift our BBB index -1dm to 356dm.  $14m of BB trading in a 573dm-773dm range with our BB index tighter at 744dm with bonds in reinvestment trading around our index 696dm-773dm with CANYC 2021-1A E seeing the most impressive execution at CVR 96.69 at 696dm / 8.9y WAL (EoRP 2026) - Jnr OC cushion 5.3, MVOC 104.6, ADR 0.4 and bond coupon +641bps.

    EUR AAA CLO

    Just 2 x AAAs today. They are both very short and from amortising deals so their traded spreads of around +100 are to be expected.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are 4 x BBB trades, all of them tranches from different Carlyle deals. The three lower margin bonds have traded around +345 with around 5yr WALs. Carlyle 2015-1 has a higher margin and traded at 399dm / 6.5yr. Taking the four trades as a whole these spreads look like a firming of the BBB sector, by around 10-20 bps.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    RNBAI 1 A (1st priority Italian autos) traded at 51dm. DPF 2020-1 A (Dutch BTL) traded at 78dm.

    There are a number of GBP trades. COMP 2019-UK1 A (UK autos) traded at 59dm. PCLF 2020-1 A (UK Premium Finance) traded at 84dm. UK BTL and UK NC 1st priorities traded on top of each other at around 90dm. GMG 2021-1X A (UK Prime) traded around 65dm.


  • 29 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    Limited trading today with 10 trades and $40m of liquidity, US LL Index bounces back +24bp dod and CLO spreads are firmer.  AAA trading is creeping towards par with benchmark bonds now trading at a small discount with shorter wal bonds with coupons >100bps better bid and within half a point of par.  To highlight this CEDF 2016-6A ARR (EoRP 2026) with a +105bps coupon covers 98.9 at 126dm / 5.8y WAL, all metrics are clean but it is the wal and lower coupon that push this to a lower execution price.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    1 x BBB and 1 x BB trade with levels firmer.  RSRVA 2016-3A DRR (BBB) covers at 99.07 at 340dm / 7.9y WAL (coupon +325bps), metrics are strong 108.9 MVOC, Jnr OC cushion 5.1.  Since this trade has a coupon >+300bps and clean metrics the execution price is strong with dm inside our index 357dm.  At BB 2.5m of ARES 2019-53A E covers 98.53 at 715dm / 6.7y WAL (EoRP 2024) - metrics are fairly average and given the positive execution level we shift our BB index slightly tighter to 747dm.

    EUR AAA CLO

    There are 5 x AAA trades today. Three of the deals are amortising: Jubilee 2014-11, Aqueduct Euro 1-2017 & Contego 4. These three AAAs have traded around +107. The other two trades are Invesco Euro 1, which is callable and traded at +112 and Segovia 6-2019 at +124.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    The only AA trade is from BlackRock 5. It is a short (4.45yr) bond which has been callable for over 2 years. It traded at LM97h / around 173 over.


  • 28 March 2022

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    $12.5m of liquidity today across 13 x BBB trades, with US LL Index +3bp dod.  Trades are all from reinvesting bonds and in a 323dm-350dm range, we shift our BB index tighter to 359dm (-6dm) given the execution levels on clean bonds with MVOC 107.5-110, coupons +285bps-310bps and Jnr OC cushions >3%.


  • 25 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    A quiet end to the week with just 7 covers today.  US LL Index +3bp dod.  At AAA there is 1 x 2nd pay trade, CGMS 2014-3RA A1B CVR 98.2 at 162dm / 6.5y WAL (EoRP 2023) and is in the range recent 2nd pay AAA trading range 160dm-170dm albeit the high ADR 2.2 with other metrics broadly in line.  2 x long wal AAAs (EoRP 2025-2026) trade 136dm-143dm, with best execution reserved for a high coupon bond from a Sixth St 3.0 CLO TICP 2020-15A A CVR 99.25 at 143dm / 4.8y WAL (coupon +128bps) with clean deal metrics.  Our AAA index ends the week at 134dm.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    At the BBB level there are two trades in a 390dm-424dm range, both are outlier trades, the outlier trade within reinvestment phase is OZLM 2014-6A CS CVR 95a at 424dm / 5.4y WAL (Sculptor) with an EoRP 2023 and metrics are weak (MVOC at the lower end 108.7, ADR elevated 1.03, Jnr OC cushion cuspy 1.4).  Our BBB index is 365dm.  There are 2 x BB trades in a 709dm-752dm range with our BB index 749dm, CRBN 2017-1A D trades inside the index with a low cash px at CVR 95 at 709dm / 5.4y WAL (EoRP 2023), low coupon +590bps and average metrics, eg. MVOC 103.7, Jnr OC cushion 3.1.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are a bunch of BBB trades. Two of them, Toro 4 & St Pauls 8, are in amortisation and traded around +350. The other 5 traded around +415, which could be a 5-10bps firmer in secondary. There is some New Issue pricing today at +485 and +460 which is where Primary BBBs have been for a while now. We have seen New Issue AAA levels finally widen to meet secondary levels. Dryden 91-2022 priced its AAA at +120.


  • 24 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $190m of liquidity across 36 trades, US LL Index fell -13bp but CLO spreads stayed firm with trades across the stack.  Reinvesting 1st pay AAAs trade 128dm-162dm with the wide end distorted by high coupon bonds rather than credit impacted bonds, AAAs with coupons <+120bps trade 128dm-145dm which is centred around our AAA index 134dm.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    AA bonds trade 187dm-192dm near our AA index level 185dm.  At single-A our index is 252dm with a post reinvestment bond MVW 2015-10A CR with short wal CVR 99.32 at 213dm / 2.6y WAL whilst a high coupon bond with clean metrics WOODS 2020-22A C (coupon +313bps) covers near par 99.996 at 313dm / 4.8y WAL (EoRP 2023) with strong execution given the risk adjusted return with short wal.  At the BBB level there are 8 trades in a 350dm-414dm range with our BBB index tightening slightly to 361dm given execution levels today are closer to par and reinvesting BBB bonds trade 350dm-370dm, whilst we see a BBB trade at its par ceiling after some time - NEUB 2020-39A D at 350dm / 6.2y WAL – EoRP 2024, high coupon +360bps and very clean metrics given a 3.0 CLO.  3 x BB trades in a 697dm-823dm range with our BB index 749dm, TRNTS 2018-8A E sees weakest execution CVR 89.83 at 823dm / 5.9y WAL (EoRP 2023) given the low coupon +590bps, low MVOC 103.7, lower percentile Jnr OC cushion 3.5 despite the reasonable manager record.

    EUR AAA CLO

    There are 2 x AAA trades today. AAA spreads in secondary do not look like they are getting any tighter. In fact these are drifting wider at +119 and +129.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are 4 x BB trades. The long maturity, Barings Euro 2020-1, traded L90s / MH700s for an 8.3yr. The others which are between 5 and 6yrs mat traded around +690. Carlyle Euro 2017-2 is amortising.

    The only single B trade, CVC Cordatus 11 traded at +879, considerably inside new issue levels of +1050 but then it is only a 6.4yr mat and is just coming up to the end of the NC date.

    Reported MVOCs continue to fall. The average BB MVOC of today’s trades is around 106.5% (from around 108% last month) and for single B it has gone from 105% to 103.5%.


  • 23 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $130m of liquidity across 40 trades today, US LL Index +2bp today.  17 x 1st pay AAA trades with our AAA index widening to 134dm given execution levels for clean bonds within reinvestment periods have widened.  There are 6 x 2nd pay AAAs that trade 160dm-173dm with coupon structures +130bps to 145bps, with best execution limited to short wal (post reinvestment) and higher coupon bonds eg. CIFC 2014-3A A2R2 CVR 98.63 at 169dm / 6.4y WAL – coupon +145bps and best execution level for a reinvesting bond despite an elevated ADR 1.2 which has little impact at the AAA level.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    9 x BBBs trade in a 318dm-622dm range, our BBB index is 363dm with best execution for reinvesting bonds with coupons > +300bps with strong Jnr OC cushions, AGL 2020-3X D CVR 99.57 at 338dm / 6.9y WAL - +330bps coupon, MVOC 111.7, low ADR 0.69, low Sub80 1.5 and strong Jnr OC cushion 4.3 from a new CLO manager entrant with excellent performance to date.  At BB there are 7 trades in a 712dm-997dm range, our BB index widens to 749dm.  The outlier trade is VENTR 2016-24A E (MJX) CVR 89.55 at 997dm / 4.1y WAL – ADR is high 1.4, Sub80 is high 3.8, Jnr OC cushion is cuspy 1.5 and the bond is post reinvestment so these metrics will unlikely improve dramatically.  Ignoring a high coupon BB bond trade JFIN 2013-1A DR +737bps at CVR 96.73 831dm / 4.4y WAL the trading range is 712dm-795dm which is centred around our 749dm index level.

    EUR AAA CLO

    Just 4 x AAA trades today. Two are in amortisation, Toro 4 and Cairn 8, and traded at +107 for 1.6yr WALs. The other two, Bosphorus 5 and Henley 1, with WALs of 3.7yr and 5.1yr traded at +125, substantially wider than new issue levels.


  • 22 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $140m of bonds changed hands today across 28 trades, US LL Index +20bp dod and CLO spreads stable on the whole with some equity on lists (however DNT) highlighting some stability signs.  25 of the 28 trades are AAA bonds, ignoring the extra short wal / high dm bonds the trading range is 124dm-154dm with our AAA index unchanged at 132dm.  Excluding any bonds with reinvestment end of this year, best execution is reserved for VENTR 2014-19A ARR CVR 99.1 at 154dm / 3.5y WAL (EoRP 2024 / high coupon +126bps) – despite the weaker manager profile (MJX AM) and weak metrics (Jnr OC cushion 1.5, ADR 2%, Sub80 3.3%) the MVOC is in the middle of the range but the high coupon trumps and highlights that investors are prepared to take some additional risk in return for a higher return for a callable bond.  On the other hand BRDGS 2021-1A A1A CVR is 98.53 at 150dm / 6y WAL (EoRP 2026 / coupon +123bps), despite the cleaner and stronger metrics versus the MJX bond the duration and inexperienced manager record to navigate complex markets impacts on execution.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    1 x BBB trade NEUB 2016-21A DR2 CVR 98.29 at 356dm / 8.2y WAL which is close to our BBB index 365dm – the bond has a +330bps coupon, strong MVOC 110.4, elevated ADR 1%, strong Jnr OC cushion and benchmark manager.  1 x BB trade, STHWK 2019-4A ER CVR 96.11 at 700dm / 7.2y WAL (EoRP 2024 / +625bps coupon) versus our BB index 746dm – this trades inside our index given the excellent manager profile and clean metrics (ADR 0.39, Sub80 1.7, Jnr OC cushion 5.04 and MVOC 105.5).

    EUR AAA CLO

    There are 15 x AAA trades today. Excluding the two that are amortising (Oak Hill 3 & Cairn 8) the average spread of the others is +121 over floored Libor. This contrasts with the +107 to +110 that the primary market seems to be at. Secondary spreads are normally, if anything, tighter than primary because of the shorter time to RPE and possibly because of the smaller volumes – but not in this case.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    The only AA, Anchorage 2, traded at +204.

    The only single A, Sculptor 9, traded at +274.

    There are 5 x BBBs. Carlyle 2017-2 is from an amortising deal and traded at +386. The others traded at an average spread of +418.

    All these mezz spreads are slightly inside new issue levels but all the bonds are shorter than new issue.


  • 21 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    25 trades today with spreads stable, US LL Index +41bp dod.  AAA bonds trade 131dm-153dm in a variety of profiles, eg. High coupon, short wal, credit impacted.  Our AAA index remains at 132dm with best execution today CBAM 2019-9A A CVR 99.58 at 151dm / 1.9y WAL (EoRP was last month) and bond coupon is high +128bps and metrics are clean hence a much sought after bond at the moment.  At the other end is VENTR 2018-32A A1 CVR 98.75 at 153dm / 3.2y WAL (EoRP 2023) but coupon is lower +110bps, MVOC is 4pts lower (than CBAM) 144.9, ADR is high 1.2, Sub80 high 3.7 and Jnr OC cushion is towards the low/mid end of the scale 2.5.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    At BBB a similar story, a variety of profiles trade (dm range 269dm-534dm) from post reinvestment to 5y reinvesting bonds from an array of credit profiles.  Our BBB index is largely unchanged 365dm (+1dm), weakest execution VENTR 2014-19A DRR CVR 91.25 at 534dm / 5.9y WAL (EoRP 2024) – MVOC is low 107.3, ADR high 2%, Sub80 high 3.4 and Jnr OC cushion cuspy at 1.5.  At BB there are 9 trades in a 588dm-805dm range with an 8pt cash px dispersion accounting for a variety of profiles.  Our BB index is 748dm (+1dm) so largely unchanged.   Best execution is reserved for short wal (post reinvestment clean bonds) or high coupon 3.0 bonds with strong cushions, eg. TRNTS 2020-12X E CVR 96.5 at 805dm / 8y WAL (MVOC 107.7, ADR 0.1, Jnr OC cushion 5.7).


  • 18 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    US LL Index +41bp wow whilst new issue starting to see 5y reinvestment periods accepted by investors (vs 3y last week).  2 x AAA bonds trade, both EoRP 2026 (coupons +112-113bps), clean metrics and in a 139dm-145dm range, with VENTR 2021-42A A1A at 98.31 at 145dm / 5.8y WAL at the wider end with the weaker manager profile appearing to impact execution.  Our AAA index shifts to 132dm. 

    EUR AAA CLO

    We finish the week with 4 x AAA trades. Their average spread is +111, however 2 of the deals are in amortisation, Toro 4 and CGMSE 2015-3.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are also 2 x A trades which have traded around +245. This is way inside new issue levels but these two bonds have low margins.


  • 17 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    Just shy of $100m of liquidity today following yesterday’s lull, US LL Index +29bp dod.  Our AAA index remains unchanged 128dm, with 2 short wal bonds (EoRP 2023) trading in 132dm-133dm context, furthermore 2 x rarer 2nd pay AAA trade 163dm-165dm.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    1 x AA trade BABSN 2018-3A B1 covers at 98h at 200dm / 2.9y WAL, this is post reinvestment with some credit issues (ADR 1.2, Sub80 2.7, CCC 7.9) and low Jnr OC cushion 2.5.  Our AA index is tighter at 184dm.  $60m of liquidity today all with short wal (EoRP 2023) is in single-A across 12 trades which a 236dm-286dm trading range whilst spreads overall widen our single-A index to 250dm.  At the BBB there are 2 barbelled trades, LCM 19A D (post reinv) covers near par 99.85 at 350dm / 3.1y WAL (high coupon +345bps,low Jnr OC cushion 1.9 offset by strong MVOC coverage 113.7) AND VENTR 2013-15A DR2 which is a longer wal (EoRP 2024) with high coupon +392bps and credit impaired (ADR 2.1, Sub80 4.7), low MVOC 108.2 and cuspy Jnr OC cushion 1.4 from a weaker manager profile (MJX AM).  Our BBB index is 363dm.  4 x BB trades in a wide dispersion (cash px 9pts and 688dm-1108dm) with our BB index 744dm.  PLSR 2019-1A D trades softest at CVR 87h at 1108dm / 7.7y WAL (EoRP 2025) – high ADR 2.5, Sub80 elevated 2.5, Jnr OC cushion is low 1.9 and manager profile (Vibrant) is weak to benchmark. 

    EUR AAA CLO

    Some welcome AAA trading in secondary today. There are 6 trades to look at. The average secondary spread is +110. The increase in secondary visibility could be prompted by the new issue prints today at +110 for Harvest 28 and +107 for Hayfin 9. Since primary and secondary AAA spreads have finally converged it gives all participants a bit more visibility and confidence.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are also 2 x BBB trades which have traded at around +410. This compares with +470-475 for the new issues.


  • 16 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    Only $50m of liquidity today after yesterday’s 10x, unsurprising given the Fed raised its benchmark rate by 25bp in a measure to control inflation which is close to 8%, furthermore more hikes have been signalled to bolster the US economy, along with possible progress on a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire.  US LL Index jumped +90bp dod.  There are 4 x AAA trades with little movement in spreads as we maintain our AAA index 128dm.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    1 x AA trade TREST 2018-2A A2 which has EoRP 2023 with CVR LM99h at 183dm / 4.4y WAL, this is right on our AA index 184dm, the MV and credit metrics on this Pacific AM bond are relatively clean (ADR 0.2, CCC 3.9, MVOC 130.9) with a +167bps coupon / post NC.  1 x BBB bond, also another short dated mezz, benchmark manager CIFC - CIFC 2018-4A C CVR 97.65 at  345dm / 5.4y WAL (EoRP 2023 / bond coupon +295bps), clean metrics and strong Jnr OC cushion 4.4, is inside our BBB index 364dm.

    EUR AAA CLO

    The two AAA trades today have both traded at +117. Toro 8 priced today at +105.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are 3 x BB trades. Ares Euro 6 is amortising and the BB traded around +640. The other two traded around +665. Toro 8 priced at +775.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    A number of 3rd priority Autos have traded around +160 to +200 depending on country and shelf. ARESL PELI-2 C (Portuguese autos) traded at 98.32 / 288dm.

    4th priority autos have traded around +225. SATUS 2021-1 D, a UK auto deal, traded at 265dm.

    BRICO 2021 D (Italian construction loans) traded at 97.98 / 250dm.

    3rd priority consumer loan bonds have traded around +175. 4th priority have traded around +180 for French and around +250 for Belgian and German.

    3rd priority bonds from PCL Funding (UK Premium Finance) have traded around +230.

    HWKSM 2019-1A A (AAA Uk non-conforming) traded at +86 to step-up.


  • 15 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $500m of liquidity today with the vast majority AAA, US LL Index -57bp dod whilst spreads broadly flat with the continued weaker underlying tone.  $400m of AAA exchanged hands whilst our AAA index widens slightly to 128dm.  1 x outlier trade SYMP 2016-17A AR which is well past reinvestment (EoRP 2020) covers 99.51 at 245dm / 0.3y WAL, the factor on this bond is around 0.5 and the coupon is +88bps / MVOC 197.2. 

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    BBB liquidity us $94m with a trading range 331dm – 573dm and 7pt cash px dispersion given the array of profiles and market volatility.  Higher coupon 3.0 bonds with strong cushions / bonds post reinvestment with strong coupons are better bid, for instance OCT44 2019-1A DR covers 97.75 at 359dm / 8.7y WAL (EoRP 2026, +325bps coupon, MVOC 112.5) whilst BLACK 2017-1A C is post reinvestment and carries a +395bps coupon and strong MVOC 113.7 despite a high ADR 1.3 / high CCC 8.8.  3 x BB trades in a 675dm-822dm range, our BB index is 751dm so trades are centred around this level.  Execution levels are driven by coupon structure given the cushions are strong (ie. Jnr OC cushions > 5%) with almost a 4pt cash px dispersion between a high coupon bond +766bps and a low coupon BB bond +575bps with similar metrics.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    The one AA trade, Mackay Shields 1, traded at +226.

    The 4 x BBB trades have traded between +372 and +471 with an average spread of +425. The spreads have followed the margins. None of them have any notable credit underperformance.

    There are 2 x BBs. Toro 4 is in amortisation and has a low MVOC and traded at +725. Anchorage Europe 2021-4 is more of a regular deal and traded at +718.

    Of the 4 single Bs three of them are from amortising deals. These three have traded around +900. The remaining bond, Carlyle Euro 2020-2, traded at +1030.


  • 14 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    $350m of liquidity to kick start the week, US LL Index -46bps dod and a slightly weaker tone on spreads, but no material widening.  $311m of liquidity consists of AAA trades with best execution trending to shorter wal bonds (post reinvestment), however GLD10 2015-10A AR seeing best execution for a bond in reinvestment, CVR 99.45 at 131dm / 3.1y WAL (EoRP 2023) with clean credit metrics, +112bps coupon and 158.7 MVOC.  Our AAA index widens to 127dm.  TICP 2018-IA A1 covers at 99.41 at 187dm / 0.6y WAL, post reinvestment end and wide in dm terms given some credit weakness (ADR 2%, Jnr OC cushion 2.1) despite the short wal.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    4 x AA trades in a 200dm-214dm range (EoRP 2025-2027) which is wider to our AA index 183dm given the longer wal, bonds are all clean and 3.0s with little creep to par for WELF 2019-XA A2R which has a NC in May despite the +175bps coupon this covers 98.25 at 208dm / 5.9y WAL.  1 x BBB bond within reinvestment trades, C4US 2021-1X D from Cap Four covers at 96h at 414dm / 8.7y WAL for a rare BBB bond with a reinvestment end of 2027, coupon is high at +362bps with a NC end of 2023 with no reporting given this is pre-trustee report, our BBB index is 360dm.

    EUR AAA CLO

    The two AAA trades today are showing a firmer tone to the AAA sector. The cover floored DMs are +106 and +116 which are several basis points tighter than where secondary has been trading. Secondary, of course, was a lot wider than new issue but that disparity is being eliminated now with secondary tightening to primary levels. The +106 trade is the short, 1.9yr mat, static deal Palmer Square 2021-2.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    BUMP 2021-BE1 A (Belgian autos) traded at +47.

    AAAs from DPF 2017-1 and DPF 2018-1 (Dutch BTL) traded around +50 to step up.

    Various tranches of AAA Dutch prime have traded in +15 to +35 area.


  • 11 March 2022

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    Just a few lower mezz trades today. The only BB trade is Toro 6, which traded at +796. Henley 7 priced its BB today at +775.

    There are 3 x single B trades which range from +858 to +1042 with an average of +925. Henley 7 priced at +1050. However the two tight secondary trades, in the +870 region, are quite short at around 6.3yrs WAL. Fair Oaks 3 is 8.8yrs and traded at +1042.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    A number of 1st priority auto deals in the 20 – 50dm range. The 3rd priority AUTOF 1 C, Italian autos, traded at 204dm. 1st priority consumer loans have traded around 55dm.

    PMACC 2020-1 A (French credit cards) traded around 20dm to step up.

    STORM 2019-1 A (Dutch prime) traded at 16dm. FNGAL 1 C (3rd priority Irish prime) traded at 200dm. DPF 2021-2 A (Dutch non-prime) traded at 94dm.

    UK BTL 3rd priority traded at 190dm and 4th priority at 226dm (LWMC 2021-FL1 C & HOPSH 1 D).

    In UK NC RMS 32X A traded at 91dm and RMS 32X C at 254dm.

    The legacy bond ALBA 2006-2 C traded at 91.10 / 190dm to mat.


  • 10 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    Almost 50 trades and $204m of liquidity today, US LL Index -23bp dod and spreads overall steady.  At AAA our index is unchanged at 126dm, 2 x rare 2nd pays trade 140dm-162dm whilst 1st pays trade 129dm-154dm which is wide to our index given a number of credit impaired bonds (9/32 trades carry an ADR >1%) and compound effect on dm’s for higher coupon bonds (>+120bps).

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    6 x AA trades in a 188dm-200dm range and cash px dispersion very tight, our AA index is unchanged at 182dm.  A high coupon +180bps bond GSM 2021-5A A2 covers 98.7 at 200dm / 7.5y WAL (EoRP 2026) with metrics clean but this is an inexperienced manager pushing the execution level wide of our index.  4 x BB trades 693dm-729dm, with our BB index 737dm, the profiles that trade are all EoRP 2026 with similar clean credit metrics and MVOC basis 106-107 and lower coupons +650bps hence trade inside our index level.

    EUR AAA CLO

    There are 3 x AAA trades today. Spreads range from +107 to +122 with an average of +115. This compares with the latest px talk on Harvest 28 of 107-110. The widest secondary trade is the long AAA (4.8yrs) with a low margin (86bps), RRE 2.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are 4 x BBB trades. We only have the big figure they traded at so it isn’t possible to precise about the traded spreads. However, approximately, the two low margin bonds have traded around +350a and the other two (closer to current par margins) at around +425a. Harvest 28 is talked at 415-425.

    There are 3 x Bs which have traded from +1011 to +1051 with an average of +1036. Harvest 28 is talked 1025-1050.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    BUMP 2019-DE1 B (German autos, orig AA) traded at 74dm. In AAA UK BTL TPMF 2019-A13A A1 traded at 89dm and CANBY 1 A2 at 107dm, both to the step up date.


  • 9 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    Significant liquidity today with 75 trades and $433m of bonds changing hands, US LL Index -3bp dod, whilst BBB spreads saw the most pronounced softening effects.  Around half of today’s liquidity is AAA with BSL and MM CLOs trading, BSL trading range is 125dm-144dm with our AAA index remaining at 126dm, whilst 2 x MM CLOs trade in a 177dm-197dm range.  For BSLs the cash px basis is almost 1pt given the array of bond/deal profiles, with best execution favoured to the shorter wal bonds / shorter remaining reinvestment / post reinvestment.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    20 x AA bonds trade in a 178dm-220dm range, our AA index is 182dm with today’s range distorted by higher coupon bonds and credit impacted fundamentals whilst the flight to quality remains in shorter wal bonds / long reinvestment with strong cushions given the market volatility, for instance ARES 2017-43A BR covers 99.5 at 178dm / 7.5y WAL (EoRP 2026) – 0.8 ADR, 5.5 Jnr OC Cushion and 128.5 MVOC.  At single-A there are 3 trades in a 233dm-254dm range, our single-A index is 235dm, BSP 2018-16A CR trades wide to this from a dm perspective, CVR 97.5 at 254dm / 5.2y WAL (EoRP 2022) with only the Sub80 bucket as a weak metric 2.4% whilst the coupon +200bps is not likely to reset in the near future with NC this June.  At BBB there are 24 trades in a 300dm-425dm range with a 3.6pt cash px dispersion given the spread of bond profiles.  Our BBB index is 351dm.  Best execution is BCC 2020-1A D CVR 99.98 at 425dm / 7.2y WAL (EoRP 2025) – high coupon +425bps with clean credit and MV metrics and a solid manager record.  At the other end of the scale is NEUB 2017-16SA DR CVR 96.35 at 345dm / 8.2y WAL (EoRP 2026) – lower coupon +290bps, lower MVOC 109.1, high ADR 1.6.  5 x BB trades 673dm – 815dm with a 3pt cash px dispersion, our BB index is 733dm which is in the middle of this range, BATLN 2017-11A ER trades at a low cash px (CVR 94.4) at 778dm / 9y WAL (EoRP 2026) – ADR elevated 0.9, Sub80 high 2.7 and other metrics broadly in line including a decent manager record.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    There are a handful of EUR trades today. The single A, Euro-Galaxy 5, traded at +288 over floored Libor.

    The 3 x BBB trades have traded at an average of +369 over floored Libor. We can see the impact of lower loan pricing feeding through as the BBB MVOC has fallen by around 2pts in the last month for all 3 bonds. These levels do indicate a firmer tone than existed when CVC Cordatus 23 priced.

    The two BBs have very different margins and so traded at very different spreads ie +636 and +748. It is hard to draw any conclusions about where the secondary market for BBs is from these two data points.

    The single B, Dryden 59 2017, traded at 89.55 / +819, but it has a low margin and therefore isn’t telling us much about where a par bond would trade.


  • 8 March 2022

    USD CLO AAA

    A fair level of liquidity today with $167m of trades across IG and SubIG, US LL Index softens for the second day running almost 50bp (-40bp dod) whilst mezz spreads widen a touch (A-BB).  At AAA our index remains at 126dm with trading dispersion 114dm-178dm whilst there are two well factored bonds that trade > 200dm given the very short wal (<0.4y) with very little dispersion amongst reinvesting bonds with cash px 99.1-99.5.

    USD CLO Mezz/Equity

    At AA there are 4 trades in a 179dm-191dm range, with our AA index 180dm, OCP 2020-18A BR has best execution at CVR 98.8 at 191dm / 5.7y WAL given the high coupon +170bps (MV and credit metrics clean).  At single-A there is significant basis between trades given the variety of profiles (long reinvestment v short reinvestment and high coupon v low coupon), trading range is 214dm-442dm with a 3.6pt cash px dispersion given the differing profiles, our single-A index is 233dm with best execution CFIP 2013-1A CR CVR 99.66 at 280dm / 3.7y WAL given post-reinvestment (EoRP 2021) and clean credit metrics and strong MVOC 122.5.  At BBB there is also significant basis similar to scenarios for single-A (cash px dispersion 5pts and dm range 340dm-464dm), our BBB index is 336dm with MVOCs pushing bonds wider across reinvesting bonds with weaker manager profiles impacting bonds at this level in the stack.  1 x BB trade CGMS 2015-1A ER CVR 94.27 at 837dm / 5.2y WAL with our BB index 741dm, this bond has a short wal (EoRP July 2022) but ADR is high 1.23, Sub80 bucket elevated 2.4, MVOC at the lower end 105.8 and Jnr OC cushion at low/mid end 2.9% with a coupon +694bps.

    EUR MEZZ/EQUITY CLO

    At last we have a resumption of liquidity in the EUR CLO market. There are 24 trades from AA to BB. The only AA trades, Carlyle 2017-3, traded at +193 over floored Libor. Even though this is considerably inside recent new issue levels because this bond has a low margin it is actually in line with the new issue market.

    There are 6 x single A trades with an average spread of +301. The last Primary deals were at +315.

    There are 3 x BBB trades. All 3 deals are in amortisation but against that one of them is Man GLG 3 which always trades wide. So with those provisos, the average traded spread is +396 versus primary  at +415.

    There are 14 x BB trades. These have traded at an average spread of +765 versus new issues at +750 and +775.

    EUR/GBP ABS/RMBS

    A number of EUR denominated mortgage bonds which are about to reach their step up date have traded at very small premiums. DILSK 4 B (Irish RMBS) traded at VH99h which is approx. 127dm to step up and DPF 2021-1 B (Dutch RMBS) traded at L99h / 135dm to step up.

    In UK BTL CSF 2021-1 A (rated AAA) traded at 109dm. MORTI 2021-1 B  (AA) at 158dm and MORTI 2021-1 C  (orig A) at 203dm. TWIN 2021-1 B (rated AA) traded at 155dm.