French find success with well received benchmarks

BPCE took French euro covered bond supply in 2011 to over €44bn on Thursday with its second obligations à l’habitat benchmark trade. French issuers have been among the most active since the market re-opened on August 24, with Crédit Agricole and Caisse de Refinancement de l’Habitat (CRH) also launching trades this week. Other names from the country are undertaking investor meetings, but with secondary spreads under pressure and strong supply across the curve, placement may become more difficult.