Europe

Canada’s DRI Capital is preparing to list a new fund on the London Stock Exchange focused on investing in pharmaceuticals royalties.

The yields on bank bonds have reached their lowest ever levels in recent weeks, thanks to meagre issuance and accommodative central bank policy. These conditions mean investors can see the silver linings, but not the clouds — and there are plenty — behind them.

Two sterling public sector bond issues were announced on Tuesday, but aside from timing, the trades had little in common. The UK Debt Management Office printed £2.5bn at 50 years, while the International Finance Corp raised £350m with a seven year.

Luis Muscatt, formerly of NatWest Markets, has joined BMO Capital Markets as a covered bond and SSA trader.

The Kingdom of Norway hit screens on Tuesday with initial pricing thoughts on its yearly syndicated benchmark.

Italy printed €9bn with a 15 year benchmark on Tuesday, wowing onlookers with a new Italian order book record and a 4bp move from initial price thoughts.

Danish aircraft lessor Nordic Aviation Capital has sold $858m in US private placements, according to market sources, which is the largest PP issue by an aircraft lessor in the history of the market. UK-based energy yieldco Atlantica Yield has also issued US private placements.

Société du Grand Paris impressed the SSA market on Tuesday with a series of superlatives. It sold its biggest ever bond with the longest ever maturity for a syndicated green bond in any asset class. The City of Munich hit another landmark with the first social bond from a European city.

Deutsche Hypo was unable to tighten pricing as much as it had hoped for a seven year Pfandbrief it issued on Tuesday. Demand was sufficient to cover the deal, excluding the European Central Bank's order, but only just enough, giving investors more power to resist spread cuts.

In January the European Central Bank bought more covered bonds as a proportion of net asset purchases than at any time in the past five years. That should stand it in good stead for the lean months ahead when supply will fall but redemptions will be even higher.

Banco BPM tightened pricing by nearly 30bp for its debut non-preferred senior bond on Tuesday, with investors backing Italian credits as a source of value compared with other assets in the euro area.

Banco Santander was the only financial issuer in the sterling market on Tuesday, tapping the currency for a non-preferred senior bond. Sterling has made a 'rocket start to 2020', according to FIG market participants.