Currencies

Two recent policy changes from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) spurred a pair of foreign banks to scoop A$3.2bn ($2.2bn) from the bond market this week. An expansion of repo-eligibility and a term funding facility for domestic banks have freed up the funds to drive the bumper deals, according to a banker at one of Australia's big four banks.

The interest cost savings may not be enough to entice some countries to accept the European Stability Mechanism’s pandemic crisis loans, with Portuguese and Cypriot officials expressing doubt.

Norway’s Kommunalbanken returned to the domestic New Zealand dollar market after a two year absence on Wednesday with its largest Kauri deal since its debut.

Estonia returned to the capital markets on Wednesday after 18 years away, introducing itself to a new set of investors as an SSA borrower.

Italy once again asserted its market access on Wednesday, raising a staggering €14bn — its biggest single tranche bond ever. The new issue was timed just ahead of Thursday’s ECB meeting, at which the governing council is expected to expand its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (Pepp).

Four public sector borrowers hit the dollar market on Wednesday, including a rare seven year deal from new issuer International Development Association (IDA).

Italy and the European Union will reboot the euro public sector bond market on Wednesday after announcing syndications of new 10 and 15 year bonds, respectively. The deals will come ahead of the European Central Bank’s meeting on Thursday, in which it is widely expected to increase the size of its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (Pepp).

Germany is set to announce extra fiscal stimulus next week, a portion of which will be dealt with at regional level. But one state treasury official does not believe it will affect his Land's borrowing programme.

Trading levels given are bid-side spreads versus mid-swaps and/or an underlying benchmark and bid-yields from the close of business on Monday, June 1. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp sold its largest every Australian dollar deal on Tuesday, scooping up A$2.4bn ($1.6bn) of senior unsecured paper through its Sydney branch.

A pair of foreign banks mandated senior unsecured Australian dollar transactions on Monday: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp is out with initial price thoughts through its Sydney branch, while the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is preparing a Kangaroo benchmark.

The International Finance Corp returned to the Australian dollar bond market to fund its response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, while at the end of last week BNG capped the strongest month for SSA Kangaroo deals for over nine months.