Europe
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The pace of growth in green mortgage financing is improving, but it is still woefully inadequate, particularly with respect to covered bonds where there are no price advantages. Fiddling with mortgage risk weights while the world burns will not change behaviour quickly enough.
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Could Deutsche Bank’s relegation from the top table of investment banks puncture Germany’s positive impression of its banking system, leading to a breakthrough in Europe's banking union? -
If A1/A+ rated BASF was worried its credit rating would drop, S&P Global has given it some good news. On Thursday, the agency said it expected the chemical producer's Monday profit warning to have only a moderate impact on Its credit ratings. But a gloomy outlook still hangs over the chemicals sector, and companies in the low triple-B band may well have a tougher time in the bond market.
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Everyone had been expecting another strategy overhaul from Deutsche Bank, but no-one expected the depth of the cuts to be so brutal. The bank is to end much of its equities business and refocus on corporate banking, and shed nearly 20,000 jobs. But observers are wary about the bank’s ability to restructure without inflicting more pain than it has forecast.
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Having successfully accessed the equity, convertible and AT1 market last week to finance its acquisition of Cashgate, Zurich-based Cembra Money Bank made it a full house on Monday when it added a senior unsecured trade to its summer funding spree.
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Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) took full advantage of strong market conditions this week to issue a $1.75bn three year dollar benchmark and a €1.25bn eight year. The two deals followed a recent Sonia-linked £1bn three year and a euro benchmark issued at the start of the year.
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This week saw barnstorming trades from Italy and the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) in euros with the long end of the curve proving to be the strong end, and now rumours are swirling around the prospect of a Greek sovereign deal.
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After one of Turkey’s strongest months in capital markets of the year, this weekend the country’s president shocked investors by firing the governor of Turkey’s central bank. While Turkish assets sold off sharply on Monday, they recovered during the week. But some onlookers are worried that the recovery reflects desperation for yield, not a reduction in risks to Turkey’s economy.
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In the space of just a few weeks, two Greek banks have made their first sales of capital instruments since the financial crisis: Piraeus Bank in June, followed by National Bank of Greece this week. With debt market valuations at all time highs, some market participants say that it is now or never for Europe's weakest financial institutions. David Freitas reports.
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Debt investors are looking at the leveraged bid for German retailer Metro AG by two private investors with uncertainty. Many questions remain about the outcome of the proposed deal, including the fate of Metro’s existing debt.
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