
Risk assets performed well in May as the US-Iran war progressed towards a potential ending. Trumps' visit to China was viewed as a positive influence on US-China relations. Reports of a Memorandum of Understanding helped equity markets push to new highs, while credit spreads continued to narrow. S&P 500 Index gained +5.26%, while small caps and the Russell 2000 Index gained +4.37%.
10-year treasury rates increased 7bps to 4.44% after spiking to an intramonth high of 4.67%, bringing treasury returns to just +0.01%. Even though there is a MOU and potential end of the war in sight, the Straight of Hormuz remains closed pressuring the inflation narrative higher. Inflation data from the World Bank across 20 countries since WWII saw a 3%+ rise in the five-year inflation rate, with price stability only restored in 4% of cases. The mechanism is adaptive expectations and policy repetition. The same policy makers who managed the first shock tend to repeat the same policies with an erosion of deviancy standards. The Fed cutting rates after inflation has consistently run above target levels and unemployment at 4% in an anticipation of labor market deterioration that never materialized. Consumer inflation expectations are starting to diverge from 5-year-5-year inflation swap breakevens and no longer forecast a return to the 2% Fed's target.
Front-end rate expectations continued to climb in the month, seeing year end expectations up 16bps throughout the month. This dynamic helped loans gain 0.48% as they use the forward curve in their yield calculations. Credit spreads helped fixed income assets perform well during the month. Investment grade spreads tightened by 8 bps helping give IG a +0.71% monthly gain. High Yield was up by 0.49%, helped by an 11bp spread compression.
Within HYs +0.49% return for the month, Single-Bs outperformed, up +0.69%. BBs were up +0.53%, while CCCs underperformed losing -0.48%. Spreads ended 11bps tighter at 291bps, while Yields were 1bp tighter ending at 7.01%. There was a notable divergence in quality that is worth highlighting. BB and Single-B spreads tightened by 13bps to 182bps and 14bps to 318bps respectively. Meanwhile, CCC spreads increased 27bps. Therefore, with the underlying treasury moves, BB yields declined by 4bps to 5.93%, Single-B yields were lower by 3bps to 7.25%, while CCC yields were higher by 39bps to 13.53%. Issuance was active with $27bn in new paper pricing in the month. Majority of the volume continues to be refinancings with only $7bn in net new issuance. This follows April, which was a stellar month with $44bn in gross and $27bn in net new issuance. Flows for HY were +$562mm after a very strong April that saw +5.8bn. This still does not offset the first quarter with year-to-date flows still at a $3.9bn outflow.
Loans gained 0.48% during the month led by Single-Bs up +0.55%, while CCCs held their own gaining +0.54% and BBs slightly lagged the index at +0.37%. Spreads were down 1bp to 487bps while yields were higher due to forward rate expectations mentioned above. Yields increased 17bps to 8.73%. BB yields were higher by 21bps, Single-B yields were +17bps and CCC yields were +35bps. The average price of the index declined 5 cents to 94.42, while the percent of the index above par increased marginally to 41.2%. Aerospace and Consumer Durables led the pack, gaining +1.17% and 1.12% respectively, while manufacturing was the sole sector posting a negative return of -0.10%. Issuance was strong in May with gross up $102bn, while net was $57.9bn. During the month the market priced the largest single tranche ever, Warner Brothers Discovery's $13bn TL B, accounting for almost a quarter of the month's issuance. Flows were a positive $900mm. Fundamentals have remained constructive within the loan asset class for 1Q26. Almost half of all loan issuers have reported results with a weighted average of +7% EBITDA growth. Notable outliers versus historic actuals included Energy which grew at double digit rates, in step with the fallout from the war in Iran, and Utilities, which is experiencing price growth from continued demand for power from AI investments in data centers. No subsectors experienced a material fall off in EBITDA growth, for those entities reporting results at this time.
May CLO issuance was +$49bn gross or $15.8bn net, excluding refinancings and resets. CLO ETFs saw +$1.6bn inflows during the month and comprise a larger AUM level than Loan ETFs. Another new IG CLO ETF launched just after May, which continues to capitalize on the demand for high-rated floating rate CLO liabilities which have historically paid competitive yields for the risk. CLO ETFs now make hold $43.5bn in AUM while Loan ETFs are less than half that at $18.4bn in AUM. AAA CLO Liability spreads tightened 5bps to ~118bps. We were able to take advantage of the market and reset CLO 3, taking 49bps of spread out of the weighted average cost of liabilities. We were also able to upsize the deal by $50mm.
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Risk assets performed well in May as the US-Iran war progressed towards a potential ending. Trumps' visit to China was viewed as a positive influence on US-China relations. Reports of a Memorandum of Understanding helped equity markets push to new highs, while credit spreads continued to narrow. S&P 500 Index gained +5.26%, while small caps and the Russell 2000 Index gained +4.37%.
10-year treasury rates increased 7bps to 4.44% after spiking to an intramonth high of 4.67%, bringing treasury returns to just +0.01%. Even though there is a MOU and potential end of the war in sight, the Straight of Hormuz remains closed pressuring the inflation narrative higher. Inflation data from the World Bank across 20 countries since WWII saw a 3%+ rise in the five-year inflation rate, with price stability only restored in 4% of cases. The mechanism is adaptive expectations and policy repetition. The same policy makers who managed the first shock tend to repeat the same policies with an erosion of deviancy standards. The Fed cutting rates after inflation has consistently run above target levels and unemployment at 4% in an anticipation of labor market deterioration that never materialized. Consumer inflation expectations are starting to diverge from 5-year-5-year inflation swap breakevens and no longer forecast a return to the 2% Fed's target.
Front-end rate expectations continued to climb in the month, seeing year end expectations up 16bps throughout the month. This dynamic helped loans gain 0.48% as they use the forward curve in their yield calculations. Credit spreads helped fixed income assets perform well during the month. Investment grade spreads tightened by 8 bps helping give IG a +0.71% monthly gain. High Yield was up by 0.49%, helped by an 11bp spread compression.
Within HYs +0.49% return for the month, Single-Bs outperformed, up +0.69%. BBs were up +0.53%, while CCCs underperformed losing -0.48%. Spreads ended 11bps tighter at 291bps, while Yields were 1bp tighter ending at 7.01%. There was a notable divergence in quality that is worth highlighting. BB and Single-B spreads tightened by 13bps to 182bps and 14bps to 318bps respectively. Meanwhile, CCC spreads increased 27bps. Therefore, with the underlying treasury moves, BB yields declined by 4bps to 5.93%, Single-B yields were lower by 3bps to 7.25%, while CCC yields were higher by 39bps to 13.53%. Issuance was active with $27bn in new paper pricing in the month. Majority of the volume continues to be refinancings with only $7bn in net new issuance. This follows April, which was a stellar month with $44bn in gross and $27bn in net new issuance. Flows for HY were +$562mm after a very strong April that saw +5.8bn. This still does not offset the first quarter with year-to-date flows still at a $3.9bn outflow.
Loans gained 0.48% during the month led by Single-Bs up +0.55%, while CCCs held their own gaining +0.54% and BBs slightly lagged the index at +0.37%. Spreads were down 1bp to 487bps while yields were higher due to forward rate expectations mentioned above. Yields increased 17bps to 8.73%. BB yields were higher by 21bps, Single-B yields were +17bps and CCC yields were +35bps. The average price of the index declined 5 cents to 94.42, while the percent of the index above par increased marginally to 41.2%. Aerospace and Consumer Durables led the pack, gaining +1.17% and 1.12% respectively, while manufacturing was the sole sector posting a negative return of -0.10%. Issuance was strong in May with gross up $102bn, while net was $57.9bn. During the month the market priced the largest single tranche ever, Warner Brothers Discovery's $13bn TL B, accounting for almost a quarter of the month's issuance. Flows were a positive $900mm. Fundamentals have remained constructive within the loan asset class for 1Q26. Almost half of all loan issuers have reported results with a weighted average of +7% EBITDA growth. Notable outliers versus historic actuals included Energy which grew at double digit rates, in step with the fallout from the war in Iran, and Utilities, which is experiencing price growth from continued demand for power from AI investments in data centers. No subsectors experienced a material fall off in EBITDA growth, for those entities reporting results at this time.
May CLO issuance was +$49bn gross or $15.8bn net, excluding refinancings and resets. CLO ETFs saw +$1.6bn inflows during the month and comprise a larger AUM level than Loan ETFs. Another new IG CLO ETF launched just after May, which continues to capitalize on the demand for high-rated floating rate CLO liabilities which have historically paid competitive yields for the risk. CLO ETFs now make hold $43.5bn in AUM while Loan ETFs are less than half that at $18.4bn in AUM. AAA CLO Liability spreads tightened 5bps to ~118bps. We were able to take advantage of the market and reset CLO 3, taking 49bps of spread out of the weighted average cost of liabilities. We were also able to upsize the deal by $50mm.