Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 13
Franklin Templeton, Fidelity Launch CLO ETFs to Capture High Rates as Private Credit Default Risks Rise
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 13

Franklin Templeton, Fidelity Launch CLO ETFs to Capture High Rates as Private Credit Default Risks Rise

2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 13

Summary

  • Franklin Templeton, Barings, Fidelity Investments and Janus Henderson have rolled out ETFs that buy higher-rated slices of collateralized loan obligations, widening retail access to the market.
  • Those funds are pitched as a way to benefit from elevated interest rates while avoiding some of the default risk building in private credit.
  • CLOs pool hundreds of risky corporate loans, but their top-rated tranches are structured to absorb losses only after lower-ranking investors are wiped out.
  • The launches underscore a broader push by Wall Street to package institutional credit exposure for retail investors as rates stay high and stress in private debt draws scrutiny.

Insights

As high rates fuel CLO ETF popularity, how vulnerable are returns to future Fed rate cuts and loan refinancing waves?
The 'no AAA CLO default' record is a key selling point. Could today’s economic pressures finally break that perfect streak?