BNP Paribas

Xinyi Energy Holdings, an owner and operator of Chinese solar farms, has received a boost on its second attempt at listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The strength of corporate bond demand, after falls in stockmarkets engendered by the US's hardened stance on trade talks with China, will be tested in the US on Wednesday by a $20bn issue for IBM. In Europe, the test could come on Thursday, since a handful of issuers finished roadshows on Wednesday.

Ireland appointed banks on Tuesday for its second syndicated bond of the year, which will extend its euro benchmark curve to 2050 (31 years).

Eagle Hospitality Trust has cut the floor of the initial price guidance for its Singapore IPO, hiking up the yield for investors while delaying the end of its roadshow, according to a source close to the deal.

Watches of Switzerland Group, the largest retailer of luxury watches in the UK, is exploring an IPO on the London Stock Exchange to cut its debt and allow its private equity owner Apollo Global Management to sell down some of its shares in the company.

Rating: Aaa/AAA

BNP Paribas recorded a sharp rise in revenue in its fixed income, currencies and commodities trading (FICC) operations during the first quarter, it said on Thursday. Other European investment banks have registered relatively good scores on this front so far this reporting season, with the exception of Deutsche Bank.

Nederlandse Waterschapsbank (NWB) acted as an oasis for dollar starved investors on Thursday, with its $500m no-grow floater oversubscribed before US markets opened.

Stephanie Sfakianos, BNPP’s head of sustainable capital markets, is retiring from BNP Paribas after 15 years with the bank.

The Manchester Airport Group, which owns Manchester, East Midlands and London Stansted airports, launched a £350m bond on Wednesday. In an investment grade corporate bond market that had otherwise been empty of new issues in the first half of the week, the deal was covered more than 3.5 times.

Nederlandse Waterschapsbank (NWB) is taking indications of interest for a $500m no-grow 18 month floating rate note on Wednesday, amid an absence of benchmarks business given a spate of global public holidays this week.

The loan backing the €5.8bn takeover of Versum Materials by German pharmaceutical firm Merck launched into syndication on Wednesday. Three banks are leading the financing. Versum is the former electronic materials division of Air Products & Chemicals, which was spun off in 2016.