CEE Bonds

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey delivered a much anticipated interest rate hike on Thursday, fulfilling market watchers' hopes that the country will reform its way to economic recovery. A trip to the primary bond market for the sovereign could be imminent.

With the inauguration of US president-elect Joe Biden in January will come increased expectations of further sanctions against Russian figures and corporates. Russian issuers should take advantage of the rally initiated by Biden's election performance and follow their sovereign into bond markets to raise cash while the going is good.

Turkey could be on track for one of the most remarkable emerging market recoveries of the year, after a shake-up of top officials signalled a return to orthodox monetary policy, inspiring confidence among investors. With the lira starting to recover from record lows, bond market insiders anticipate a new issue before the end of the year. Mariam Meskin reports.

The Russian Federation and the Republic of Hungary brought euro-denominated trades on Thursday, taking the opportunity to get funding done during good conditions in the run-up to the US Thanksgiving holiday, after which liquidity is expected to dry up.

Emerging market issuers have crept back into the small issuance window in international markets after a brief pause for the US elections, with Dubai Islamic Bank and Uzbekistan’s Ipoteka Bank issuing dollar-denominated bonds this week.

Ukraine is expected to return to international bond markets as concerns mount around the impact the country’s lack of progress with anti-corruption reforms will have on an upcoming IMF disbursement.

The shock departure this weekend of Turkey’s central bank governor and finance minister has sparked hopes among market watchers that a monetary policy overhaul could be on the cards, as the lira made a modest recovery on Monday. The news follows what has been a tumultuous period for the currency, which this month hit record lows.

The eventual result of Tuesday's US presidential election could have a monumental impact on the position of key emerging markets states like Russia and Turkey in the international arena.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden each present a different set of medium-term risk factors for emerging markets if they win next week’s US presidential elections. But the US Federal Reserve’s promise to keep rates lower for longer — combined with unprecedented monetary policy support from other developed market central banks — should provide a cushion that is more relevant to EM bonds than the Oval Office’s occupant. Mariam Meskin and Oliver West report.

The Turkish lira fell to record lows against the dollar this week as investors lamented the central bank’s failure to raise interest rates amid high inflation and expressed concerns over the country’s relationship with the US.

BCS Global Markets, the investment services division of Russia’s largest independent broker, has hired Vadim Kotov as the new chief operations officer for its investment banking business.

Two EM bond issuers beat hasty retreats from the primary market this week. But despite the challenges the pair faced, bankers and investors believe the market is open for borrowers looking to pick up a bit of funding ahead of what is expected to be a tortuous US election. Lewis McLellan reports.