Crédit Agricole

Covered bond borrowers in the UK, Sweden, France, New Zealand and the Netherlands met with strong receptions for their transactions this week, which collectively raised nearly €6bn.

Cheap euro loans from European banks are attracting the attention of typically dollar hungry EM borrowers, as Qatar National Bank (QNB) launched a rare offer in the currency.

ABN Amro issued the largest 15 year euro covered bond in a decade and priced it as Bund prices rallied to historic highs, igniting a search for yield.

Mercuria, the Swiss energy and commodity trader, is set to launch its annual European refinancing loan next week, according to a banker familiar with the deal.

Lagardère, the unrated French media company, went beyond its usual five year tenor on Wednesday as it issued a €500m seven year bond that garnered plenty of demand.

Crédit Agricole was in the senior unsecured market on Thursday, drawing strong demand at the long end of the curve as syndicates remained cautious to ensure a smooth allocation process.

Portugal breathed some liquidity into a pair of outstanding bonds on Wednesday with its first syndication since January, achieving much lower premiums than its last syndication, according to bankers.

The European Union proved that for the right issuers there is considerable demand at the 15 year point of the curve, with the Joint Länder planning a return to the market with a seven year benchmark for the first time since a mooted deal in February stalled.

Telefónica hit the European bond market on Wednesday for a €2.75bn dual tranche deal that drew hefty demand, but later widened in secondary.

The global head of infrastructure at Crédit Agricole will replace Jean-Francois Balay as global head of debt optimisation and distribution, as Balay becomes global head of risk.

Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC) navigated a crowded primary market on Tuesday to seal a $1bn dual-tranche bond. Thanks to the credit’s safe-haven status, onshore investors piled in, allowing the firm to price the deal flat to its existing curves.

Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) rolled out the European corporate bond market’s second 20 year bond of the year on Tuesday as investors lapped up the duration on offer.