Europe

A Dkr6.4bn (€856m) block of shares in Danish renewable energy firm Ørsted reopened the EMEA ECM market on Tuesday evening and attracted huge investor demand for the stock — including from ESG investors.

There was no let-up in the barrage of new bond supply from financial institutions in the middle of the week, as issuers put their bets on investors caring more about putting their cash to work than getting caught out by political risks.

Reden Solar, a French company that constructs and manages photovoltaic power plants, has sold a green euro private placement (PP).

Equity investors were hopeful that the tension between the US and Iran will lessen after the latter responded to the former's assassination of its military commander Qasem Soleimani with a limited tactical strike against US bases in the Middle East.

German pharmaceutical firm Vetter launched a Schuldschein on Tuesday, which is the first such offering in the market in 2020.

German automaker Daimler began its 2020 renminbi debt market activity on Tuesday with a Rmb3bn ($432m) Panda bond sold through a new issuance vehicle, Netherlands-based subsidiary Daimler International Finance.

The Sonia-linked covered bond market is showing signs that it is 'maturing', with Commonwealth Bank of Australia launching a new deal in the format on Tuesday and Coventry Building Society looking to follow in the footsteps of two of its compatriots early in 2020.

Equity market participants were stunned last Friday after the US assassinated Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. It followed what had been a strong end to 2019 in the market with many hopeful the momentum would carry into this year. But banks and investors need to be prepared for shocks, especially as domestic pressure on US president Donald Trump increases in the run up to November's election.

A strong reception for a five year euro benchmark by KfW on Tuesday was enough to lure in a hesitant flock of public sector borrowers to the euro market as the pipeline stacks up for Wednesday’s business.

The euro market welcomed as many as nine new unsecured bonds from financial institutions on Tuesday, as the sector made a roaring start to the year. Attention is now turning to secondary market performance, as bankers look to see how the market absorbs the boom in supply.

Premier Oil has become the first company to announce a major ECM transaction in 2020, a £385m ($500m) capital increase to repay debt and finance the acquisition of two UK North Sea oilfields from BP.

Short sellers' detractors say they are detrimental to the responsible stewardship of companies. This is unfair; they can play a useful role in highlighting deceptive practices in a world of greenwashing.