Europe

Agence France Trésor, the French sovereign debt office, has published a second draft budget bill for 2020, which will see it issue much more debt than previously announced.

Santander and Deutsche Bank in Spain have structured the first Cédulas deals to be issued under the Cédulas de Internacionalización legal framework designed to finance export finance loans. The deals are likely to be retained for central bank repo purposes and emerge amid a huge expansion in retained covered bond volumes after the European Central Bank recently cut repo valuation haircuts.

DCM officials have expressed surprise at the speed with which the market has adapted to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, with issuers able to complete deals quickly and with little extra fuss.

Banks have been building their financial sponsor coverage teams on a record period of deal making. Now they have a different fight on their hands, but bankers are playing down the threat of a 2008-style meltdown, writes David Rothnie.

Several investors have told GlobalCapital of their concern for the outlook of UK universities as borrowers. They worry that the spread of coronavirus will hit revenues, lower the demand from international students and may in the end hasten a shift towards remote learning.

Christopher Mallon has joined Lazard’s financial advisory team as a senior adviser concentrating on global restructuring, at a time when that line of business is likely to become very busy.

Danish agency KommuneKredit made one of its infrequent visits to the Swedish kronor market on Wednesday. With many issuers preferring the short end of the market due to volatility from the coronavirus pandemic, the agency instead opted to tap a pocket of demand at the long end of the curve.

Insolvency and restructuring practitioners have been catapulted into an unprecedented whirlwind of activity by the coronavirus, as even healthy companies suddenly find themselves staring over a financial precipice. In the UK, the government will change insolvency rules to ease these situations, but specialists believe there is more to be gained by using existing laws better.

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti pulled off a €1bn dual tranche Covid-19 response bond on Wednesday, capitalising on investors’ desire to deploy cash into coronavirus instruments to ride out a difficult market.

Greece did not attract the huge reception from investors that it has grown used to over the last few years, despite paying a considerable new issue premium and being eligible for the European Central Bank’s Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP).

Trading levels given are bid-side spreads versus mid-swaps and/or an underlying benchmark and bid-yields from the close of business on Tuesday, April 14. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.

Royal Bank of Canada on Wednesday became the fourth Canadian bank to issue an Australian dollar covered bond in April, pricing considerably tighter than its compatriots and in the largest size yet. The success the Canadians have enjoyed in Kangaroos is in stark contrast to a sterile sterling market.