Middle East Bonds

The United Arab Emirates’ banking system is expected to more than double its credit growth next year, compared with 2017, with stabilising oil prices and international bond issuance set to support funding in the country.

Rating: B1/BB-

Amount: $3bn

Two Middle Eastern sovereigns this week showed the depth and breadth investor demand for EM credit this week, one with a high quality jumbo $10bn trade, and the other, junk rated, with a bold 30 year trade that took full advantage of ideal funding conditions.

If it’s large, liquid and high grade, or small, obscure with a decent yield, it will fly. If it’s a repeat issuer, small in size, and tightly priced, it won’t. That is the status in EM according to debt capital markets bankers.

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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan served plenty of yield up to investors on Monday, proving that it is not just the double-A rated names which enjoy access to long dated funding in emerging market bonds. The deal traded up two cash points on Tuesday which drew a mixed response from market participants.

Abu Dhabi was on track on Tuesday morning to print the second blowout trade from the Gulf in a week following Saudi Arabia's $12.5bn sale last Wednesday. It was also able to drive pricing through Saudi Arabia’s secondary curve, having taken orders of $30bn.

With some $27.5bn of orders going unallocated in the Saudi Arabia's order book last week, the market is awash with liquidity — much of which has a proven interest in the Gulf. Abu Dhabi has wasted no time in trying to build on Saudi’s success, opening books on its own triple tranche bond offer on Monday.

Jordan dropped the 10 year bond sounded on its roadshow and choose to focus its attention on the long end on Monday, opening books on a 30 year bond at high 7% area.

Saudi Arabia does not come to market often, but when it does, it does so in size — as this week’s $12.5bn sale proved. In the last 12 months, the Gulf state has raised more in dollar or euro syndications than any other sovereign. The issuer has shown remarkable commitment to weaning its economy off petrodollars as it enlists capital markets to help it plug a $53bn deficit, writes Virginia Furness.

Saudi Arabia cut through rising swap spreads on Wednesday to print its third jumbo transaction, bringing its funding efforts to $39bn over 12 months. The issuer kept the buyside sweet with around a 10bp new issue concession, and all three tranches were tighter in the secondary market on Thursday.