TwentyFour

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 Italian banking sector has kicked off the week with news of a potentially blockbuster merger, showing the theme of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in European banking is very much alive.

In 2026, we are at a crucial juncture for European CLO managers. The 2021 and 2022 vintages are reaching the end of their reinvestment period. Understanding why this is significant is vital to grasping the current state of the CLO markets.

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.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently published the UK’s net migration figures for the second half of 2025. The data shows that the downward trend from the extreme post-Covid levels continues.

Persistent macroeconomic volatility, geopolitical tensions and AI-driven disruption have all shaped the start of 2026. It has also marked the return of the leveraged buyout (LBO).

TwentyFour Asset Management (“TwentyFour”), a specialist fixed income boutique, notes the announcement by American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (“American Beacon”) regarding a series of proposed transactions involving three City National Rochdale Funds currently advised by RBC Rochdale, LLC.

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.

European bank results for the first quarter of 2026 have revealed a strong start to the year, allaying some of the concern that the prolonged conflict in the Middle East might impact bank fundamentals to some extent.

Credit markets have been remarkably resilient in the face of significant geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility in recent weeks.

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.