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Electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto sealed a scorching $1.1bn Nasdaq IPO this week, pricing above the marketed range to make it the largest US listing by a Chinese company in nearly two years. The deal proved there is still interest among mainland firms to list in the US, despite rising hostilities between the two countries, writes Jonathan Breen.

The National Football League, the professional American football league in the US, has sold $1.7bn of private placements, according to market sources, to help steer the organisation through the coronavirus.

Surging redemptions and aggressive buying by the ECB — which is also offering issuers a cheaper funding alternative — mean a reduced supply outlook for the covered bond market and, therefore, ever tighter spreads. But higher yielding, safer alternative investments are on the horizon, meaning the asset class may soon lose its allure.

A burst of additional tier one (AT1) supply this week showed that financial institutions will be keen to take advantage of every funding window available this summer, despite having made substantial progress on their annual issuance plans.

Ant Group is planning a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai that will value the company at as much as $200bn. Bankers say the mega listing will be a ‘shot of adrenaline’ for the two stock exchanges, creating a surge of liquidity that will enable more companies to follow suit. Jonathan Breen reports.

After striking a remarkably swift restructuring deal with creditors, Ecuador’s government deserves praise. But it is unrealistic to expect such smooth discussions elsewhere, as emerging market sovereign defaults inevitably rise.

BBVA has become the first bank to print a green additional tier one (AT1) deal. When it was issued this week, it proved that the demand for socially responsible investments (SRI) extends to the riskiest of asset classes, meaning other banks are certain to bring out their own versions of the trade, writes David Freitas.

Bohai Bank wrapped up a billion-dollar-plus Hong Kong IPO this week. The issuer, one of China’s last remaining joint-stock commercial banks to go public, rode the tail end of a hot period for the city’s IPO market. Jonathan Breen reports.

The huge demand seen for ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s buyout financing, the largest bridge loan left on banks’ books through the Covid-19 crisis, should reassure credit committees and capital markets operators that the LBO market is wide open again, for the right business. Owen Sanderson reports.

Dubai port logistics operator DP World, tested the boundaries of emerging market investor risk appetite this week as it priced at $1.5bn sukuk hybrid deal.

Private debt blossomed after the last financial crisis, as European companies grew more sophisticated and sought to diversify their funding strategies away from bank loans and bond markets. But the coronavirus has highlighted its shortcomings, particularly around speed of execution. It may be hard to regain the momentum.

Thai hospitality company Minor International (Mint) used a guarantee from Bangkok Bank to issue a $300m bond this week. The deal structure, which echoes its 2018 debut bond, helped quell investor concerns about how Covid-19 has ravaged the borrower’s business. Morgan Davis reports.