BNP Paribas

The SSA euro market’s record start to the year shows no signs of slowing down, with bankers confident that the conditions which have helped draw record book after record book are here to stay. That backdrop helped Export Development Canada (EDC) to an excellent debut in the currency, as well as a very strong trade from the veteran European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

Dollar swap spreads tightened dramatically in the middle of the week — with bankers at a loss to explain why — but the SSA sector was still “rock solid” in one syndicate head’s words, so the currency should be open for business next week. The only two dollar trades this week — a bond market return from CDP Financial and first deal of the year from Erste Abwicklungsanstalt — both went well.

Guarantor: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)

Poland is in the market for its most ambitious green bonds yet. It has opened books for two tranches of euro debt, hitting the 10 and 30 year maturity buckets.

Paccar Financial has become the latest in a string of US issuers that have tapped the euro market over the past two weeks. The financing arm of the US maker of trucks and trailers has raised €300m via the sale of new 0.125% notes due in March 2022.

Export Development Canada made light work of its debut euro benchmark on Wednesday, with the deal heavily oversubscribed and printed 3bp tighter than price thoughts. While applauding the deal, some on-looking SSA bankers felt the level on offer might have been slightly generous — although they admitted that fair value is always fuzzy on an inaugural trade.

Crédit Agricole put out price thoughts for a non-preferred senior bond in the Euroyen market on Wednesday, getting the ball rolling on its third public debt offering in the space of a week.

ICBC Financial Leasing Co pulled off an ultra-tight spread on both tranches of a $1.5bn bond. The issuer built a mammoth order book with generous initial guidance but ultimately pushed investors inside fair value estimates.

Export Development Canada mandated banks on Tuesday for its inaugural euro benchmark, despite the euro/dollar basis swap having moved against euro issuance since the start of year, according to bankers.

French electricals group Rexel launched a €600m high yield bond on Tuesday, looking to refinance its 3.5% 2023 notes. The strong demand for the new bond, against a backdrop of anaemic high yield supply in euros, meant the firm printed the new issue much tighter than the bond it replaces.

Investors put in more than €6bn of orders for a new non-preferred senior bond from Crédit Agricole at the beginning of the week, after the French bank opened books on the longest dated deal of the year so far.

BNP Paribas has made Mrinal Parekh its new head of equity capital markets for southeast Asia and India, according to a source familiar with the matter.