Oaktree recently held its biennial client conference featuring presentations from co-chairman Howard Marks, co-CEOs Robert O’Leary and Armen Panossian, and many other key Oaktree thought leaders.  In a special edition of The Roundup, we’ve highlighted various topics discussed at Oaktree Conference 2024, including the next frontier of private credit, dislocation in India’s corporate debt markets, and the potentially once-in-a-generation opportunity in commercial real estate.

Where are we in the market cycle? Why is it healthy to be uncertain? And what does it mean to actually “be opportunistic”? In the latest episode of The Insight: Conversations, Howard Marks (Co-Chairman), Armen Panossian (Co-CEO), and David Rosenberg (Head of Liquid Performing Credit) discuss these and other topics from the recently published Performing Credit Quarterly 1Q2024: Unusually Uncertain.

You can listen to the Performing Credit Quarterly 1Q2024 in the prior episode in this feed.

Oaktree co-chairman Howard Marks recently noted that many investors today are feeling “unusually uncertain” about the future of the economy and financial markets. In the latest Performing Credit Quarterly, Armen Panossian (co-CEO and Head of Performing Credit) and Danielle Poli (Assistant Portfolio Manager, Global Credit) explore the pockets of risk and opportunity emerging in this environment and the potential implications for credit investors. Plus, we’ve included excerpts from Howard’s recent market update to Oaktree clients.

You can read the 1Q2024 PCQ here (https://www.oaktreecapital.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/pcq-1q2024.pdf?sfvrsn=9bdf5666_3).

What were some of the biggest surprises in credit markets during the first quarter? Why might global convertibles be set for a rebound? And why do many Chinese equities look more attractive today than they did a year ago? In the latest episode of The Insight: Conversations, Robert O’Leary (co-CEO), Armen Panossian (co-CEO), Jean-Pierre Latrille (Portfolio Manager, Global Convertibles), and Janet Wang (Co-Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets Equities) discuss these and other topics from the recently published edition of The Roundup: Top Takeaways from Oaktree’s Quarterly Letters.

You can listen to the March 2024 edition of The Roundup in the previous episode in this feed, or read it here (https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/insight-commentary/market-commentary/the-roundup-top-takeaways-from-oaktrees-quarterly-letters-march-2024).

In this installment of The Roundup, you’ll learn what Oaktree’s new co-CEOs, Robert O’Leary and Armen Panossian, think about today’s investment environment. You’ll also find insights about opportunistic credit, asset-backed finance, the Chinese equity market, and more.

You can read The Roundup here (https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/insight-commentary/market-commentary/the-roundup-top-takeaways-from-oaktrees-quarterly-letters-march-2024).

Learn about the next generation of private credit with Pierre-Antoine de Selancy, Cofounder and Managing Partner of 17Capital. 17Capital, which partnered with Oaktree in 2022, is a market leader in NAV finance. Pierre-Antoine explains what NAV finance is, why it has become so popular, and why its growth is likely to accelerate in the coming years.

Learn all about NAV finance, a rapidly growing segment of the private credit landscape, in this explainer, which was authored by Armen Panossian (Co-CEO and Head of Performing Credit) and Pierre-Antoine de Selancy (Cofounder and Managing Partner, 17Capital). They discuss the evolution of NAV finance, the benefits for both lenders and borrowers, and the area’s dramatic growth in recent years. They argue that NAV finance is likely to play a crucial role in the next generation of private finance.

You can read NAV Finance 101 here (https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/insight-commentary/education/nav-finance-101-the-next-generation-of-private-credit).

Which macroeconomic tailwinds are weakening and potentially turning into headwinds? Why may it now be easier to find a signal amid the economic noise? And what are the implications for credit investors? In the latest episode of The Insight: Conversations, Armen Panossian (incoming co-CEO and Head of Performing Credit), Danielle Poli (Assistant Portfolio Manager, Global Credit), and Wayne Dahl (Co-Portfolio Manager, Global Credit) discuss these and other topics from the recently published Performing Credit Quarterly 4Q2023: The Goldilocks Trap.

In the latest Performing Credit Quarterly, Armen Panossian (Head of Performing Credit) and Danielle Poli (Assistant Portfolio Manager, Global Credit) discuss the “Goldilocks thinking” prevalent in today’s markets, highlighting the potential pitfalls and opportunities it’s creating. At a time when several long- and short-term economic tailwinds appear to be weakening, they consider the risk of assuming that everything will be just fine.

You can read the 4Q2023 PCQ here (https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/insight-commentary/market-commentary/performing-credit-quarterly-4q2023-the-goldilocks-trap).

What is a “normal” investment environment? What might a recession in 2024 mean for liquid credit?  What’s happening in life sciences lending today? Find out by listening to the latest episode of The Insight: Conversations with Howard Marks (Co-Chairman), David Rosenberg (Co-Portfolio Manager, Global Credit), and Aman Kumar (Co-Portfolio Manager, Life Sciences Lending). They discuss topics from the December edition of The Roundup: Top Takeaways from Oaktree’s Quarterly Letters and consider what investors should focus on as we enter 2024 – and what remains unknowable.