About this episode
What if the best way to navigate credit markets is not about chasing yield but controlling risk?
In this episode, I sit down with Danielle Poli, Co-Portfolio Manager of Global Credit at Oaktree, to explore how she manages a $20 billion portfolio within a $223 billion firm. Danielle shares how focusing on core income, rigorous underwriting, and a flexible toolkit allows her team to navigate complex markets while remaining defensive or opportunistic as conditions change.
Highlights:
Why a “core plus alpha” strategy balances steady income with opportunistic credit
How to underwrite borrowers through leverage, cash flow, and sector fundamentals
Why AI disruption is creating caution in software but opportunity in cybersecurity
The framework for finding mispriced assets in distressed or overlooked sectors
How the K-shaped economy is shaping credit allocation and risk management
Why flexibility across bonds, loans, and structured credit is critical in credit portfolios
Why private credit must deliver excess yield to justify illiquidity
Danielle’s career advice: compound relationships and trust alongside investment returns
Guest Bio:
Danielle Poli is Co-Portfolio Manager of Global Credit at Oaktree Capital Management, a $223 billion investment firm, where she helps oversee a $20 billion portfolio focused on income, total return, and high-conviction sub-investment-grade opportunities across bonds, loans, structured credit, and emerging markets. She played a key role in launching the firm’s Global Credit strategy in 2017 and emphasizes bottom-up research, risk control, and flexible allocation to generate consistent returns across market cycles.
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Sponsor:
AlphaSense is the AI-powered market intelligence platform trusted by 85% of the S&P 100, helping investment professionals make faster, more confident, data-driven decisions. Built for hedge funds, asset allocators, private venture capital firms, and investment bankers, AlphaSense uses advanced AI and powerful search across premium proprietary content to surface the insights that matter most—before the market moves. Elevate your research and stay ahead of the competition. Visit https://www.alpha-sense.com/howiinvest/ to learn more.
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