BNP Paribas

Shares in Watches of Switzerland, the UK luxury watch retailer, surged in the aftermarket on Thursday after the company priced its £220m ($277.46m) IPO a day early in the upper half of the price range.

Switzerland’s Sucafina has renewed its $300m syndicated loan, with all 11 banks that lent to the coffee trader’s debut in 2017 rejoining the deal as bankers say there is still not enough business to go around.

European elections, which produced relief in much of Europe and some horror in the UK, have not fazed corporate bond markets. But they may have caused this week's dearth of issuance. Illinois Tool Works' three trancher on Wednesday may be the only fruit. But investors' diaries are filling up with roadshow dates.

Airtel Africa, the African subsidiary of Indian telecommunications conglomerate Bharti Airtel, has announced its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange, paving the way for a multi-billion pound IPO that will allow its parent to raise funds to reduce its debt.

Spanish infrastructure and renewable energy company Acciona has returned to the Schuldschein market with a €150m-minimum triple tranche transaction. As lenders begin to loosen lines to Italy and Spain, arrangers said there may be more borrowers from those countries to come.

BOC Aviation, the aircraft leasing group owned by Bank of China, is returning to the offshore loan market, seven months after it sealed a smaller transaction.

Guarantor: Swedish local government members

A weakened corporate bond market on Thursday did not dissuade Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms company, from issuing a €2.5bn triple tranche deal. Competing for investors' attention was unrated Symrise, the German flavours and fragrances group, which managed to slash its pricing by 25bp-30bp without losing investors.

Germany’s Salzgitter has closed a €350m-equivalent dollar and euro Schuldschein, with the steel products and tube maker blowing past its initial €200m launch amount.

BNP Paribas has appointed Bruno Villard as head of M&A for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Chinese issuers were out in force again in the bond markets on Wednesday, with financial companies ICBC International Holdings and Avic International Leasing Co raising $1.15bn between them.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Tuesday that a sanctions bill restricting companies involved in Russia's Nord Stream 2 project would come in the “not too distant future”. That left investors wondering how and if this will affect their portfolios as bond bankers dredged up memories of when Nord Stream 1 was on track to print its own international bond through BNP Paribas before capital markets sanctions were imposed on Russia in 2014.