China

The first day of trading on the long hailed Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect ended in a whimper, with just a fifth of the daily net trading quota used up. But Charles Li, chief executive of the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX) was clear the bridge will serve its purpose in the long run.

Offshore renminbi debt has struggled to gain traction this year, while the Panda bond market has shown encouraging development despite the absence of clear-cut rules. But if the Chinese regulators want to keep the RMB’s appeal as a long-term funding currency, they need to urgently make Panda issuance more user friendly.

The Shanghai Municipal authority is set to issue its first free trade zone (FTZ) bond on December 8. Three international banks have joined the large syndicate that will bring the deal to market.

China's Baozun opened books on Monday morning for its first follow-on offering since its Nasdaq IPO in May last year, and is looking to raise around $85m.

Chinese local government financing vehicle (LGFV) Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group is making its return to the international bond market, marketing a dollar-denominated dual tranche offering on Tuesday.

Panda bonds are attracting plenty of interest but accounting issues and China’s scrutiny of global auditors are proving to be the biggest impediments to the asset class, according to panelists speaking at the IFLR Asia 2016 Capital Markets Forum.

China Minsheng Banking Corp is looking to sell its inaugural Basel III bank capital offering, having picked banks to prepare a dollar-denominated additional tier one (AT1) bond.

Asia ex-Japan debt capital markets had a quiet opening on Monday, with a sole Chinese local government financing vehicle (LGFV) out for dollar funding. On the same day, another two LGFVs announced mandates.

Despite a slight delay to its usual schedule, the Chinese Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced it will be auctioning Rmb10bn ($1.44bn) to institutional investors and an additional Rmb4bn to retail and central bank segments in the second batch of offshore renminbi (CNH) bonds in Hong Kong on December 8.

The week begins with the long-awaited launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, while in the foreign exchange (FX) markets the RMB volatility led to a new record in RMB futures traded on the Singapore Exchange in November.

Ronshine China Holdings priced its inaugural offshore bond against a volatile market backdrop and concern around its sector. The borrower still managed to raise $175m from the offering thanks to the presence of anchor orders.

In this round, up, cross-border RMB trade settlement falls further in Hong Kong, the RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) scheme adds the first Thai asset manager, and the Hong Kong Exchange confirms the final list of stocks available through Shenzhen Connect from December 5. Plus, a recap of our weekly coverage.