Crédit Agricole

Rabobank has become the first Dutch bank to enter the credit markets in over two months, after launching a non-preferred senior bond on Wednesday. The issuer tacked on a call option, which bankers say are cheap to deliver in the market at the moment.

The European Investment Bank achieved its biggest ever order book in euros on Tuesday, as it sold its first seven year benchmark of the year.

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa paid a 'generous' 7bp of new issue premium for a preferred senior bond on Tuesday, taking advantage of a quiet market to attract attention from investors.

The region of Madrid and the European Investment Bank are both marketing seven year euro deals, with the former preparing the first green labelled bond by a Spanish government entity. Elsewhere in the euro public sector bond market, Ontario Teachers’ Finance Trust is moving forward with its first bond in the currency.

Pernod Ricard, the French drinks company, was rewarded for waiting on Monday when it launched taps of existing bonds more than 50bp inside where it had originally priced the notes just weeks ago, showing just what a tonic the European Central Bank's asset purchasing has been for the corporate bond market during the coronavirus pandemic.

Spreads in the financial institutions bond market have sprung back to more ‘normal’ levels lately, but issuers may have to wait a little while longer before capitalising on the improvement in conditions, given that many of them are side-lined by earnings blackouts.

Bpifrance became the first French issuer to sell a Covid-19 response bond on Friday, raising €1.5bn.

Bpifrance is preparing to issue a bond which will be used to provide loans to companies in France to help them overcome the economic difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.

Two supranationals will take to the market on Thursday to raise money for their socially responsible investment programmes. Inter-American Investment Corporation will raise dollars for its Covid-19 response bond, while Nordic Investment Bank is coming to market for a euro environmental bond. The transactions will share the market with Bank of England’s annual dollar deal.

Europe’s high grade corporate bond market faced one of its biggest tests on Wednesday, with France’s Auchan, which operates in the heavily disrupted retail sector, getting a deal away with one of the larger new issue concessions seen in recent weeks.

Italian-American car company Fiat Chrysler has drawn down on its €6.25bn revolving credit facility to shore up its finances during the Covid-19 pandemic, though the company has left a new bridge loan untouched.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) hit the market for dollar paper on Tuesday, with the Manila-based supra going for five years and the French agency opting for three years.