Middle East Bonds

Teva, the Israeli-US pharmaceutical company, priced a $2.1bn bond package at the tighter end of the initial price thoughts this week. While it is yet to come to a settlement over its alleged involvement in the US opioid crisis, investors were happy to jump aboard a rare double-B issue yielding up to 7%.

Israeli-US pharmaceutical company Teva has priced a $2.1bn bond package at the tighter end of initial price thoughts. Although Teva is still to sign a binding global settlement on its involvement in the opioid crisis, investors were happy to jump aboard a rare double-B issue yielding as much as 7%.

Flourishing conditions in the sukuk market stepped up another gear this week as Qatar International Islamic Bank priced an additional tier one bond that one of its leads claimed was the tightest ever such trade from the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

One Middle Eastern bank is in the market with a sukuk additional tier one note, while a second announced it will go on the road for its own AT1.

Emerging markets issuers are pumping out mandates, with the buy-side showing little sign yet of closing shop for the year, but investors are not throwing cash at everything.

Islamic Development Bank has spurred momentum in the green sukuk market, as it announced its debut, a euro deal, in the format this week.

Qatar International Islamic Bank mandated banks on Wednesday for an AT1 sukuk, one day after Masraf al Rayan (MAR), another Qatari Islamic bank, had achieved tight pricing on its senior unsecured offering in the format. But another Middle Eastern deal, in Reg S/144A format, was pulled this week.

A bleak situation in Lebanese bond markets deteriorated further on Tuesday when Moody’s cut its rating to Caa2 and kept the sovereign on review for further downgrades.

Do responsible investing, ESG and sustainable finance mean anything? If so, they must mean investors cannot buy Saudi Aramco’s IPO. When the world is desperately trying to cut carbon emissions, ploughing billions into a newly listed oil company is the definition of a backward step.

Guarantor: Mamoura Diversified Global Holdings

The wild volatility gripping Lebanese hard currency bond markets has international investors keenly eyeing the soaring yields on offer. But with no clear path to market-friendly reforms in the country, trying to grab a bargain is still a trade for the brave, writes Ross Lancaster.

Mamoura Diversified Global Holdings attracted demand from across the planet on Tuesday as it structured a triple tranche trade that allowed Taiwanese bids to flow to its 30 year bond.