Euro

Ireland has sold its first negative yielding bond, raising €4bn with a five year. The deal pulled in €10.1bn of orders, despite some trepidation over the developing situation between Catalonia and Spain.

The buy-side is slowly removing European duration from portfolios in anticipation of the European Central Bank cutting its asset purchase programme, according to an investment director. Meanwhile, new cash flowing into the eurozone periphery is likely to go to Italy over Spain while uncertainty lingers over Catalonia’s future.

The investment grade corporate bond markets in Europe have stood firm in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday and political uncertainty in Catalonia. German Unity Day led to a third blank day for corporate bonds in Europe, but syndicate managers were comfortable about new issuance conditions for the foreseeable future.

Ireland returned to screens on Monday, mandating six banks for the sovereign’s first syndication since January. The proceeds from the issue will go to repaying the country’s remaining loans from the International Monetary Fund.

Clashes during Catalonia’s disputed independence referendum over the weekend have taken their toll on Spanish government bonds ahead of a Bono auction on Thursday. But the country’s borrowing costs could steepen further if, as expected, the Catalan authorities declare independence, said analysts.

Corporate bond issuers are targeting the second half of this week to bring their deals to market. Tuesday’s German Unity Day public holiday is being seen by syndicate managers as having more of an impact on issuance plans than Sunday’s events in Catalonia.

September has not been as busy by volume as usual in the corporate bond market, but that is more because of the size of deals, rather than the number. Syndicate managers expect this trend to continue in October with healthy pipelines in front of them.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China raised $2bn-equivalent from its three tranche offshore green bond debut, making it one of the largest green bond deals from a Chinese bank.

Rating: Aa3/A+

The votes are in on last week's solitary benchmark from the SSA sector. The BondMarker voters have delivered their verdict on Oesterreichische KontrollBank's €1.5bn September 2024 note.

KfW has sold Europe’s first blockchain-based bond, although a quirk of German law meant the transaction had to be replicated on paper. While the bond was instantly settled, those involved say a crucial component is missing if this technology is to become part of capital markets’ infrastructure: a cash settlement facility on a distributed ledger.

Volkswagen Leasing brought its second euro corporate bond deal of 2017 on Monday. The €2.25bn dual tranche offering took Volkswagen’s total issuance this year to €17.25bn. This is more than twice as much as General Electric, the next highest issuer by volume.