Americas

Chile priced the tightest EM sovereign bond in the Covid-19 era on Tuesday, selling a dollar deal flat or inside its curve and tight to where neighbouring rival Peru had issued last month.

The top tier of emerging market companies and sovereigns are funding themselves at near pre-coronavirus levels, but there is stark inequality in the market. The vast majority of EM corporates will have to sit out a while longer as funding costs remain prohibitively high for triple- and double-B rated issuers, writes Oliver West.

The record-breaking pace of US corporate bond issuance shows no sign of abating as more than 20 issuers from across the ratings spectrum dashed out of earnings to issue this week, amid red-hot funding conditions.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management makes two SRI hires — Citi appoints Aby for CEEMEA markets — Callaghan joins HSBC for UK M&A

German meal kit delivery company HelloFresh has issued a €175m debut convertible bond to fund growth opportunities after reporting stellar first quarter results, as more consumers dine at home because of the restrictions imposed to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic in its key markets.

Citigroup is determined to emerge as a winner from the Covid-19 crisis and conquer the summit of global investment banking, in the face of any pull to concentrate more on home markets, writes David Rothnie.

Kingsoft Cloud Holdings is on the road with its up to $450m Nasdaq IPO. Thanks to strong pre-launch demand, it is running a quick three-day bookbuild, according to a source close to the deal.

Even as sovereign restructuring and debt relief top the agenda for emerging markets bond buyers, investors are showing faith in the top names in the asset class. Tuesday was Chile’s turn; the sovereign breezed its way through two currencies, notching a negative new issue premium in dollars and becoming the first non-European sovereign to issue in euros since the Covid-19 crisis began.

The Loan Market Association (LMA) has set guidelines to clarify how borrowers and banks should implement green and sustainability linked loans.

The economic devastation has made an absolute mockery of predicting corporate earnings and therefore, equity valuation. Companies have given up on providing forward guidance leaving equity investors in the strange position of having to pick stocks without the earnings estimates that they have come to depend upon. Undoubtedly, this makes their work harder but it will also mean they must add to their repertoire of techniques for analysing companies. Many will flounder but a few are bound to shine.

HSBC Canada is set to become the third Canadian bank to issue a dollar covered bond this year, mandating leads for a three year transaction on Tuesday. Given a strong secondary market performance, HSBC Canada should be able to price its deal a lot tighter than its predecessors.

Kingsoft Cloud Holdings is looking to raise $450m from its Nasdaq IPO, finalising the listing terms on Monday.