When a company announces that it is increasing the amount paid out to shareholders, it is not typically greeted with enthusiasm by credit investors. But Glencore is no ordinary company in the CDS world, and its announcement on December 1 wasn’t a standard chance in financial policy.

The Swiss firm said that it would be resuming dividend payments after a hiatus of more than a year. Back in September 2015, Glencore was under enormous pressure as it groaned under the weight of its high debt burden and struggled to cope with falling commodity prices. Five-year CDS spreads widened from 350bps to 850bps in the space of two weeks...