BNP Paribas

Chinese company Giant Investment, which is taking private online game developer Giant Interactive, has picked a group of seven banks to provide it with $850m to fund the leveraged buyout.

IDBI Bank executed a solid return to the dollar bond market on Wednesday night, pricing its 5.5 year Reg S offering just before hawkish comments from the US Federal Reserve sent Treasury yields surging.

Royal Dutch Shell, the UK-Dutch oil company, issued its first euro bond since 2009 today, completing a hat trick of bond issues this week by oil majors.

Ceva Sante Animale, the veterinary vaccines maker, expects to receive initial commitments to a €668m-equivalent term loan on Friday, as it seeks to refinance debt using an aggressive covenant-lite structure.

Crossover credits ArcelorMittal and Fiat took advantage of a strong market to sell five and seven year euro benchmark bonds on Tuesday.

Investors jumped on the opportunity to pick up exposure to rare insurance company subordinated debt, as Coface’s €380m 10 year bullet bond was prepped to price inside of comparables on Wednesday.

Hungary built a herculean $14.5bn order book for a dual tranche dollar deal on Tuesday, which should herald a similarly strong response for other CEEMEA sovereigns planning bonds. Capital flight from Russia has moved into other CEE credits, increasing demand that was already heightened by weak supply.

Hungary has left CEEMEA sovereigns in no doubt as to the degree of demand awaiting them in the bond market. A speech from Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday reassuring the world that Russia's ambitions in Ukraine extended no further than Crimea was like music to the CEEMEA bond market's ears. A sharp rally prompted Hungary to launch a dual tranche deal that drew almost $15bn from 800 accounts. Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania, meanwhile, are in varying states of preparation ahead of their own deals.

Russian iron ore producer Metalloinvest has signed a $1.15bn pre-export finance facility to refinance existing debt.

IDBI Bank returned to the dollar bond market on Wednesday morning, providing investors with a popular alternative to the high volume of Chinese credits seen so far this year.

SBI Capital Markets has joined as a mandated lead arranger and bookrunner on its parent State Bank of India’s $390m loan ahead of a general launch on March 18, but is yet to commit a firm amount.

GDF Suez, the French gas and electricity group, has launched a €5bn loan facility into the market, seeking to refinance debt early to take advantage of low loan margins.