Adidas dares 12 year unrated, but conditions not optimal

Adidas, the German sportswear maker, issued its first bond for five years today, with a €1bn seven and 12 year offering. Adidas is a high quality name, but 12 years is an unusually long maturity for an unrated issuer, and with financial markets jittery again today, the deal may not have whizzed off the books as much as it might have in a more bullish atmosphere. Bankers said it widened sharply in the aftermarket.