The first quarter of 2026 was defined by a sharp increase in geopolitical risk and evolving concerns around structural shifts in technology. Military actions involving the United States in Venezuela and Iran, including a large-scale operation launched with Israel on February 28, injected significant uncertainty into global markets. The resulting disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz drove West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices more than 50% higher during the quarter, raising concerns that elevated energy and input costs could place renewed upward pressure on inflation. At the same time, rapid advancements in artificial intelligence contributed to a reassessment of software sector fundamentals, catalyzing risk aversion across technology and private credit markets.
Mr. Gundlach is CEO of DoubleLine. In 2011, he appeared on the cover of Barron's as "The New Bond King." In 2013, Institutional Investor named him "Money Manager of the Year." In 2012, 2015 and 2016, he was named one of "The Fifty Most Influential" in Bloomberg Markets. In 2017, he was inducted into the FIASI Fixed Income Hall of Fame. Mr. Gundlach is a summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, with degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy.
Mr. Cohen joined DoubleLine in 2012 and serves as Director of Global Developed Credit. In this role, he oversees the firm’s corporate credit team and is the lead portfolio manager for investment grade, high yield and leveraged loan credit strategies. Mr. Cohen also developed DoubleLine’s leveraged finance investment platform, which is utilized across closed-end fund, floating-rate, CLO and multi-sector fixed-income strategies. In addition, he is a permanent member of the Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee. Mr. Cohen has over 30 years of experience in corporate credit investing. Prior to joining DoubleLine, he held investment roles at West Gate Horizons Advisors, ING Capital Advisors, Union Bank and Bank of Montreal. Mr. Cohen holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Arizona and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He is a CFA® charterholder.
Ms. Padilla joined DoubleLine in 2009 as the Director of the Emerging Markets Fixed Income team and is the lead Portfolio Manager. In addition, she is a permanent member of the Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee. Prior to DoubleLine, Ms. Padilla was a Managing Director at TCW. She began working at TCW in 1994, where she served in a number of roles including Credit Analyst, Director of Research, Co-Portfolio Manager, and lead Portfolio Manager. Ms. Padilla was involved in all aspects of building and managing TCW’s Emerging Markets Fixed Income business including credit, securitization, trading and marketing. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, as a fellow of the Robert A. Toigo Foundation.
