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5-Year US CLO BWIC Review: BBs Lead Secondary-Market Turnover

Based on SCI’s BWIC data, US CLO BWIC activity over the past five years has seen meaningful shifts in both trading patterns and liquidity. BB tranches stand out for their high secondary-market turnover relative to their share of outstanding balances. BWIC execution has recovered steadily from the 2023–24 low, while fewer but larger trades have characterised the market more recently, particularly in AAA. Traded prices have also recovered strongly from the 2022–23 lows across CLO debt tranches, although performance has varied across the capital structure.

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Five-Year European CLO BWIC Review: Mezzanine Tranches Punch Above Their Weight

Over the past five years, €76.1bn of European CLO paper was shown on BWICs, of which €47.7bn traded (source: SCI’s BWIC data), implying an overall hit rate of 62.7%. While AAAs accounted for the largest share of traded volume, they changed hands far less frequently relative to their weight in a typical CLO. Mezzanine tranches punched well above their structural weight, led by BBs, while single-B trading surged in the latest year—highlighting where secondary-market activity is most concentrated and opportunistic investors are most active.

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