Euro

Dollar high yield and convertible bond buyers dived straight into the riskiest possible end of the market on Wednesday, snapping up rescue issues for cruise operator Carnival Corporation, a firm at the centre of the coronavirus storm. Carnival pledged nearly all its ships to back bondholders’ investments, while convert investors spied a chance to double their money — if the cruise industry can bounce back. Aidan Gregory, Jon Hay, Sam Kerr and Owen Sanderson report.

Thursday’s market was heaving with SSAs printing euro deals, many of them opting for themed deals, some of which are specifically addressing the coronavirus outbreak, with bankers suggesting that these are enjoying the hottest demand.

Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets spied an opportunity to launch a new senior bond on Thursday, with credit markets performing well despite the tougher backdrop in equities this week.

Dollar high yield buyers showed up in force for the largest priming debt opportunity provided so far by the coronavirus crisis, Carnival Corporation’s $4bn rescue offering, priced alongside a convertible and an equity capital raising on Wednesday. The package provides funds for the stricken cruise operator until November, but even if the company can’t start sailing again this year or next, investors in the new issue are first in line for the firm’s $38bn of assets.

In spite of an equity sell-off on Wednesday morning, Portugal was warmly received when it hit the market on Wednesday, printing its largest ever single tranche deal and generating more orders than ever before. The deal should provide confidence for Ireland, which is also planning a syndication.

The high yield bond leg of the rescue package for cruise company Carnival is flying off the shelves in the dollar market, leading the company to increase it from $3bn to $4bn, cut pricing, and drop the planned euro tranche entirely — but the equity capital raising is proving tougher and has been shrunk by $500m.

KfW made an impressive statement by taking out size with a small new issue premium for a three year euro deal on Wednesday. Bankers say the deal is a sign of concessions reaching a floor following the huge premiums offered since the return of SSAs to the primary market.

The euro market for SSAs has returned to life in impressive style, but borrowers outside the ECB’s asset purchase programme are meeting with a chillier reception than their European counterparts.

Carnival Cruises, the world’s largest leisure travel company, is rolling the dice on a coronavirus rescue package, launching a $1.25bn underwritten rights issue, $1.75bn convertible bond, and a $3bn dual currency high yield bond.

Portugal will be hoping to mirror the success of Belgium after the latter smashed records in the public sector bond market on Tuesday with the biggest ever order book for an SSA borrower in euros. Both Portugal and Belgium have announced an anticipated increase to their 2020 funding programmes as result of the Covid-19 crisis.

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, March 30. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.

Italy’s borrowing is set to increase as it attempts to weather the economic impact of coronavirus. But Davide Iacovoni, director general of the Italian public debt office, told GlobalCapital that he did not expect investors to abandon the country’s debt. He also called for some form of European risk sharing.