Finland

While low oil prices have caused financial problems for many borrowers in the Nordic high yield market, the opposite has been true for the unrated Finnish airline Finnair, which will open a roadshow for a sub-benchmark sized offering on Friday.

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Municipality Finance this week enjoyed a boost to its plans to term out its funding, as an investor placed a reverse enquiry order for a record breaking long dated euro note.

The African Development Bank sold its largest ever benchmark on Wednesday, in a deal which bankers said should hammer home the issuer’s “new style” to investors. Meanwhile, Municipality Finance brought its first dollar benchmark of the year.

Finland’s Elisa was the only borrower to brave the market on Wednesday for a sub benchmark trade, despite bankers reaffirming their confidence that primary demand is as strong now as it has been all year.

Municipality Finance is set to follow the European Investment Bank into the five year part of the dollar curve, as a slight tightening in swap spreads failed to deter issuer and investor sentiment for bonds in the currency.

The European corporate high yield market sized up a €1.25bn two tranche deal from Nokia on Monday that became the third biggest high yield bond since August last year.

As the first non-German bank in the eurozone to price a €1bn covered bond in over a month, OP Mortgage Bank was perhaps overly careful with its initial approach to pricing. But the plan paid off.

OP Mortgage Bank issued the first €1bn sized non-German eurozone covered bond in over a month on Thursday and, possibly because of the larger than usual size, took a cautious pricing approach.

Finnish technology company Nokia is set to become the first European company to issue a euro high yield bond for four weeks. Meanwhile, UK food producer Bakkavor will repay all its notes.

Buoyant secondary markets are continuing to provide ideal conditions for equity sellers to trade blocks. This week has already brought notable sales in France, Finland, Sweden and Russia.

Terex Corp, the US maker of lifting and material processing machinery, has sold a 9.5% stake in Konecranes, the Finnish crane manufacturer, after a lock-up agreement was waived.