Americas

Investor worries about this Sunday's election in Italy have not materialised yet in terms of having an affect upon fear gauges and hedging activity with both subdued, especially when compared to notable European elections from last year.

Before 2017, US crowd services provider Equinix had not issued a bond in euros. But it has now visited the European high yield market three times, having completed its latest deal on Wednesday.

Equity repo, a way to lend shares to the market, is a key parameter in equity derivatives trading but is yet to be fully considered and monetised. Given the opportunities that exist in the space, market participants would do well to change tack.

Emerging market bonds have been buoyed by several positives in key markets this week including a cabinet reshuffle in South Africa that has seen the return of respected former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, and the upgrade of Russia to investment grade by S&P.

Chinese video streaming platform iQiyi filed a draft IPO prospectus with the US market regulator on Tuesday. It is aiming to raise up to $1.5bn from its listing this year.

Recent hints from Ecuador’s finance minister Carlos de la Torre that the South American sovereign is considering a euro-denominated bond issue should be met with caution, according to a report from Quito-based Analytica Investments.

Three public sector borrowers hit screens in euros on Tuesday, taking advantage of a hot market to offer zero or limited new issue premiums.

After yet another quiet day in Latin American bond markets on Monday, syndicate bankers said that the return of new issuance after a more than two week hiatus would likely commence after two key speeches from Jay Powell, the new US Federal Reserve chair.

The European Union’s upcoming April 2033 euro benchmark may have to offer a little more premium than usual if it wants to match a similar trade from the European Investment Bank last week and attract strong French demand, said bankers away from the mandate. Other euro supply in the pipe includes CPPIB Capital — also with a 2033 issue — and Rentenbank in sevens.

TP ICAP, the inderdealer broker, on Monday revealed that it has promoted from within and made new hires for its institutional services division.

The US private placement market is welcoming more utility issuers, according to participants, after changes to the minimum eligibility threshold of the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Index.

International law firm Mayer Brown has hired eight lawyers from the New York and San Francisco offices of Morrison & Foerster, including capital markets partners Anna Pinedo and James Tanenbaum .