Euro

Italian prime minister-designate Mario Draghi must walk a knife-edge if he is to form a government and present a national recovery and resilience plan. If he takes too hard a line the mill of Italian politics will chew him up and spit him out. If he is too quick to compromise, the EU’s life as a giant bond issuer may be shorter than hoped.

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, February 8. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.

After taking an aggressive approach for its last syndication in January which resulted in a shocking loss of over €75bn of orders, Spain returned to a more moderate and conventional pricing process as it came to the market for a new 50 year bond on Tuesday.

Relief swept through secondary bond markets when Mario Draghi agreed to form a new government to steer Italy through the pandemic. But he must tread a narrow and treacherous path if he is to succeed and primary capital markets are to feel any lasting benefits. As Lewis McLellan and Tyler Davies report, next week will show whether Thursday’s burst of optimism was justified.

The possibility that former ECB chief Mario Draghi may become the next Italian prime minister has caused excitement among bond market participants and a sharp rally in risky assets.

Cyprus attracted sold demand when it hit the market for a new five euro benchmark on Tuesday. The trade was priced with a positive yield – a rarity for a eurozone sovereign bond in this part of the curve.

Portugal mandated banks on Tuesday to lead the sale of a new 30 year bond as it looks to pounce on the strong investor appetite in the long end of the euro curve.

The Singapore Exchange has sold a €240m zero coupon convertible bond, its debut equity-linked issue and the first CB from a stock exchange globally in eight years.

India’s NTPC, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corp, is making a rare venture into the euro loan market.

German politicians are planting their flags, preparing for the leadership tussle that is set to follow chancellor Angela Merkel's departure from the post later this year. Low rates have increased debt's popularity as the means to fund economic stimulus but Germany’s frugality is legendary and now a fight is brewing over relaxing its famous debt brake, writes Lewis McLellan.

First Abu Dhabi Bank issued a Sfr260m ($293m) six year bond this week, the first Swiss franc green bond from the Middle East.

A pair of sovereign borrowers hit the crowded euro bond market on Wednesday, pulling down a combined €7bn. Public sector issuance is showing no signs of slowing: Wednesday’s borrowers received huge orders.