Euro

After a week of no euro issuance the primary market in euros is likely to pick up next week, when staffing levels should be back to normal. A mandate decision on a Nordic deal is expected on Friday afternoon and other core euro issuers are close to pulling the trigger. The dollar market remains open despite doubts over the depth of demand in the last deal from Bank of Nova Scotia.

The bullish tone in covered bonds continued on Thursday with successful senior unsecured and corporate deals buoying supply hopes for next week, which bankers expect to be busy.

The Bundesbank and European Central Bank have been actively lifting offers in Austrian covered bonds, with all bar one credit performing strongly since the end of March.

Primary activity in covered bonds is expected to resume on Wednesday, with high hopes that a deal will be announced later on Tuesday afternoon. Though the secondary market is quiet, bankers reported a much better tone into the close of last week as offers were lifted in recently underperforming deals.

Berlin Hypothekenbank has mandated joint leads for a European roadshow to market the first Green Pfandbrief.

The spread between the weakest and strongest covered bonds is tighter than at any point in the last five years, thanks to the European Central Bank’s backstop bid. But just because the ECB is willing to buy anything and everything that qualifies as a covered bond, that doesn’t mean investors should.

At the end of April Standard & Poor’s will roll outs its new multi Cédulas (MC) rating methodology. It expects 40% of deals it rates to be downgraded two to three notches and 40% to be upgraded about two notches. At the same time it will implement its European commercial real estate (CRE) rating criteria, which will result in 10% of covered bonds with commercial real estate in the pool being downgraded by one notch and no upgrades.

The Austrian state of Carinthia announced that it will provide a line of liquidity support to Austria’s Pfandbriefstelle. The decision suggests a slight improvement in the negative political backdrop dominating Austrian banks. Despite continued concerns, the recent sell-off has thrown up relative value opportunities, said analysts.

HVB returned to the covered bond market for its first and only mortgage-backed covered bond benchmark of the year on Tuesday and enjoyed a solid reception. The choice of tenor, deal size and timing all played important roles in the deal’s success.

The decision to remove Heta exposure from Pfandbriefe collateral pools and add substitute assets has strengthened the position of investors and has demonstrated the importance that the German banking industry places on the reputation of the Pfandbrief product, said Moody’s on Monday.

Sentiment improved across the board on Monday, and especially in the covered bond market where Commerzbank issued an oversubscribed seven year tap which it increased from the minimum size during bookbuilding. The increase made a stark contrast to last week’s deals and suggests scope for another transaction on Tuesday. Despite a very supportive technical backdrop, the second quarter outlook is less certain with concern over Greece set to mount, said bankers.

Northern Rock Asset Management (NRAM) made a tender offer for its €2bn 3.875% November 2020 on Monday and will pay a 2% premium. The bank has also proposed an extraordinary resolution to redeem all notes other than those tendered, for which it will not pay a premium.