Europe

The Republic of Austria received huge investor demand for its five year euro benchmark on Wednesday, despite the bond being priced with a yield below the European Central Bank’s deposit rate. The sovereign also took advantage of the rally in eurozone government bond yields to tap its outstanding century bond for a further €1bn.

The UK is preparing to issue its second sukuk, following its debut in 2014.

Global Fashion Group, the emerging markets-focused online fashion retailer, has restructured its IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the face of tepid investor demand, having dropped the price to €4.50, below the initial €6 to €8 range, and extended the bookbuilding process by two working days. The two largest shareholders in the company will also now buy half the shares on offer.

Credit Suisse Switzerland issued its debut covered bond from its newly structured programme on Wednesday, achieving a very solid outcome in a short time frame. And the Swiss franc-denominated covered bond was quickly followed by another from the UK’s Nationwide Building Society.

UniCredit brushed aside any volatility in the broader Italian capital markets to issue its second senior transaction in as many weeks on Wednesday, getting away without paying a premium to its investors.

Landesbank Hessen-Thüeringen Girozentrale (Helaba) sold the first negative yielding covered bond since 2017 on Wednesday, attracting good demand for the €750m five year Pfandbrief.

TBC Bank, Georgia's largest bank, is in the market for its first ever additional tier one bond, offering initial price thoughts of high 10% area.

NIBC Bank said on Tuesday that its risk-weighted asset base would grow by more than €1bn, as a result of the European Central Bank’s targeted review of internal models (TRIM). Model changes demanded by the Dutch regulator made its common equity tier one (CET1) ratio slump from 18.5% to 16.1%.

Standard Chartered raised S$750m ($554m) from a Basel III-compliant additional tier one deal on Tuesday, boosting its capital ratio after a consolidation of its operations in Singapore this year. The bank’s strong Asia links helped it achieve better funding arbitrage compared to some of its European peers.

Travelodge is planning to dip into the sterling market to refinance all its bonds, issuing up to £440m in senior secured floating rate notes. It would take advantage of a window for UK issuance before the likely resumption of political worries in the autumn as the Brexit deadline approaches.

London’s most recent IPO issuers can exhale with relief after pricing their deals just before an increasingly turbulent Conservative leadership contest and the increasing likelihood of a disorderly Brexit spooked investors.

Tikehau Capital, the French alternative investment manager, plans to expand into new markets and assets after completing the largest equity capital raise in France of the year so far.