Europe
-
Prospects for companies to issue more social bonds rose this week, with the debut issue by Electricité de France, a borrower with a long and influential track record in the green bond market. -
Equity capital markets participants are predicting the return of exchangeable bonds as a way for large corporates to sell crossholdings or subsidiaries to raise funds without offering the big discounts to investors that come with a block trade. Two deals this week highlighted the importance of the product, a €538m deal by French utility Engie, selling shares in Gaztransport Et Technigaz (GTT) and bonds exchangeable into its shares, and a $1.64bn financing package sold by Adnoc, selling shares and exchangeable bonds in subsidiary Adnoc Distribution.
-
Sweden’s national debt office announced on Thursday that it will extend its government bond curve to 50 years via a syndication in June.
-
It was a big week for environmental, social and governance in the capital markets — aren't they all? But in the most recent developments, it is possible to detect a rise in the spiciness of the debate over what should and should not be acceptable.
-
Banks bombarded the dollar market this week, with a deluge of supply from rare Yankee issuers and US heavyweights across the capital structure.
-
Three unprecedented events this week — a landmark court ruling against Shell and shareholder revolts at Chevron and ExxonMobil — signalled that investors and society at large have rejected the oil industry’s early attempts at joining the low carbon transition and are looking for much more radical action. Oil majors retain good access to capital markets, but the clock is ticking. Jon Hay reports.
-
-
-
Belarus this week gave investors a chance to demonstrate the ESG credentials they are often so keen to trumpet. Few took it. Although the country’s sovereign bonds sold off in the wake of the controversial arrest of a journalist on Sunday, investors gave a number of reasons why issues such as human rights violations were no deterrent to buying an issuer’s bonds. But there are signs those excuses may not hold up for ever, writes Mariam Meskin.
-
Rates traders were sanguine about the market outlook over the next month in the belief that low supply and high redemptions will support spreads. But long term questions about the extent of central bank asset purchases, both in the US and Europe, are expected to come back to haunt them.
-
Bpifrance has announced a euro benchmark, following in the footsteps of two other French issuers that came to market this week.
