TwentyFour

Credit assets generally performed well in the first of half of 2026, despite periodic volatility driven by the Iran war and concerns about AI disruption and private credit.

TwentyFour Asset Management’s Elena Rinaldi reflects on a quarter in which Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) and Collateralised Loan Obligation (CLOs) markets demonstrated resilience despite heightened geopolitical and market volatility.

TwentyFour Asset Management’s Diva Bashay reflects on a quarter which tested market sentiment through geopolitical tensions, shifting interest rate expectations and UK political developments.

TwentyFour Asset Management’s Gordon Shannon reflects on a quarter shaped by geopolitical tensions, government bond volatility and shifting central bank expectations.

The primary risk in a fixed income portfolio is credit risk – the risk that a bond issuer will fail to make payments (or “default”) on its debt.

Collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) are securitisations backed by a large pool of senior secured corporate loans, which are financed partly via selling bonds to investors.

Multi-Asset Credit (MAC) is an active, unconstrained fixed income strategy that targets higher returns for investors who accept greater market and credit risk.

Having initially expected central banks to cut interest rates in 2026, investors now face a hawkish pivot after the European Central Bank (ECB) hiked rates at its June meeting.

The conflict in Iran has driven a sharp repricing at the front-end of rates markets, pushing central bank expectations from cuts to hikes in a matter of weeks. While the reaction is understandable given the inflationary impact, the scale of the move has left front-end yields on a more attractive footing.

UK government bond yields have pushed higher this month as markets have digested a building political crisis, with the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, now set to face a Labour Party leadership contest following dire local election results on May 7.

With the Middle East conflict clouding the outlook for inflation and interest rates, TwentyFour Asset Management’s Doug Charleston explains why asset-backed securities (ABS) could be a valuable diversifier for fixed income investors looking to deal with further volatility.

Since their introduction in 2013, AT1 bonds have acted as a valuable kicker for many fixed income funds, having consistently delivered excess return over more mainstream credit markets such as high yield bonds over the medium term.