Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

In this round-up, Russian bank VTB tightens co-operation with China Development Bank, latest Hong Kong and Singapore deposit data, the Azeri state oil fund reports first holdings of RMB in its foreign currency reserves, and Bank of China and China Construction Bank H1 2015 reports highlight progress in cross-border RMB business.

Rating: A2/A-/A-

Poland reopened the CEEMEA bond market this week after investors in search of safe havens pushed central Eastern European sovereign spreads tighter. Uncertainty over the timing of a US rate hike has left buyers wary of more typical EM names and left CEE sovereigns among the select few that could avoid paying heightened premiums.

Talk of Russian issuers’ bond plans has been gathering pace this week as Gazprom has mandated for a bond to be printed before the end of this year, sanctioned VEB looks to 2016 for a Panda bond, and Norilsk Nickel embarks on a series of investor meetings.

Bankers are pointing to sovereigns from central Eastern Europe as the best hope for CEEMEA supply although much of the region is bound by the uncertainty of when the US will start to raise rates.

State Savings Bank of Ukraine (Oschadbank) has finished exchanging its 2016 and 2018 Eurobonds into new 2023 and 2025 notes.

Poland made sure CEEMEA was not left out of the September restart rush on Wednesday, but more traditional emerging markets are likely to be left sidelined until after the US Federal Reserve decides to raise interest rates, said debt bankers.

Russia’s Vnesheconombank is in talks to sell Panda bonds, but the note will be placed next year at the earliest, said a source close to the borrower.

Gazprom is planning to issue a Eurobond in the last quarter of this year, and has been in preliminary discussions for a size of €500m-€700m for the deal, according to a source with knowledge of the company’s plans.

Rarely has confidence in equity markets been more savagely battered during August than this year. But hopes that issuance of new deals will be able to continue in the September-December season were raised on Tuesday by the launch of investor education for two IPOs.

Estonia's Eesti Energia is looking to print a euro denominated Reg S bond.

Russian steelmaker Evraz signed two bilateral loans this month and is in the market for a bigger syndicated deal, according to bankers, while its competitor NLMK is still in talks with banks after trying to issue a syndicated loan for two years.