Featured Reseach
Please find the download link below for the overlap optimisation model. The model allows users to select up to 100 US and/or EU CLO deals from a user-defined pool of deals and identifies the optimal combination to minimise overlap.
Repayment experience across 2021-vintage European CLO AAA tranches highlights the importance of distinguishing between redemption through a reset (or liquidation) and gradual amortisation. Tranches redeemed through resets generally achieved shorter weighted average lives (WALs) than projected under the standard 20% CPR assumption. Among those still outstanding, however, principal repayments have generally been slower than the same scenario anticipated, with considerable variation across deals.
The study covers a sample of 556 EU CLO deals issued between 2013 and the first half of 2025. Static deals and those with a collateral pool factor below 60% are excluded from the analysis. The sample of 556 CLO deals also shows an average 8.8% of collateral priced below 80, concentrated in the 60–70 and 70–80 bands, which together account for 7.3%. Exposure below 60 is comparatively limited at approximately 1.5%.
A sample of 1,636 US BSL CLO deals (vintage 2013–1H 2025) is included in this study. Deals with a collateral pool factor below 55% are excluded.
This analysis examines the best exit trades across 17 CLO deals managed by Diameter Capital.
GoldenTree's best exit trades, defined as loan sales executed at least five points above their market prices, highlight the benefits of timely loan disposals. The largest contributions came from Cablevision Systems, Leslie's Poolmart, Central Parent, Acrisure and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The analysis examines the best exit trades across all 19 AIMCO CLO deals, defined as loan sales executed at least 5 points above their market bid prices as at 6 October 2026. Of the 3,189 loan sales with available market prices, 756 trades across 24 issuers, representing approximately $297m in face value, met the minimum 5-point price differential criterion. These trades were executed at a weighted average sale price of 84.3, approximately 33.7 points above their market prices as at 6 October 2026, translating into an estimated $100m in avoided mark-to-market losses.
US CLO new-issue volume reached $126.8bn across 271 deals in the first nine months of 2026, down 17.6% by volume and 15.0% by deal count compared with the same period in 2025. EU CLO issuance held up considerably better over the same period. New-issue volume remained broadly stable at €48.3bn across 114 deals, with volume down just 0.5% and deal count up 1.8% compared with the first nine months of 2025.
The analysis covers new-issue EU BSL CLOs priced between 2 February 2022 and 1 October 2026 with a reported discount margin (DM), sourced from SCI. Deals with reinvestment periods of less than 3.9 years are excluded, as are a selected group of deals that were not competitively priced.
The analysis covers new-issue EU BSL CLOs priced between 2 February 2022 and 25 September 2026 with a reported discount margin (DM), sourced from SCI. Deals with reinvestment periods of less than 3.9 years are excluded, as are a selected group of deals that were not competitively priced.
US BSL CLO new-issue spreads have rallied across the capital structure, led by the lower-rated tranches. AA and BBB are at their tightest weekly prints over the study period, while A and BB are close to theirs. The AAA–BB gap has narrowed to 323 bps, well below its 52-week average of 370 bps and study-period average of 473 bps. As the chart below shows, the gap is near its historical tights, suggesting that BB offers less relative value versus AAA than it has typically offered over the study period.
The table below shows the top 50 managers by BWIC traded volume from September 2023 to August 2026, alongside their CLO AUM shares as of June 2026. The comparison between BWIC traded-volume shares and CLO AUM shares highlights several striking differences:
This study is based on a sample of 1,806 U.S. BSL CLO deals. Static deals are excluded from the analysis. Equity performance remains one of the most closely watched measures of CLO manager performance, given its importance to a broad range of stakeholders. A manager that consistently delivers for equity investors may be better positioned to attract equity capital for future deals, which in turn can support continued issuance and the further growth of its CLO platform.
Over the past three years, managers’ shares of total traded BWIC volume across the capital structure, from AAA to equity, were generally aligned with their shares of total CLO AUM. CVC’s shares were identical at 5.0%, while Blackstone, UBS Asset Management and ICG also showed a close relationship. HPS, Voya, BlackRock, Sound Point and Investcorp accounted for noticeably higher shares of traded volume than AUM, indicating relatively greater secondary-market turnover. By contrast, Redding Ridge, Palmer Square, KKR, Hayfin and Barings were less represented in BWIC trading relative to their AUM shares.HPS, Voya, BlackRock, Sound Point and Investcorp accounted for noticeably higher shares of traded volume than AUM, indicating relatively greater secondary-market turnover. By contrast, Redding Ridge, Palmer Square, KKR, Hayfin and Barings were less represented in BWIC trading relative to their AUM, potentially indicating a higher proportion of buy-and-hold investors.
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.
