France

The loan funding for CDPQ and Ardian’s acquisition of a stake in Alvest, the unrated French manufacturer of aeroplane parts, was allocated among a "limited" number of investors on Tuesday, amid growing demand for small and mid-sized credits.

Compagnie de Financement Foncier (CFF) this week issued one of the most oversubscribed French covered bonds in years with demand boosted by the long tenor, small deal size and positive spread. At the same time, SEB found good demand, even though it was issuing the tenth 10 year covered bond since September.

BNP Paribas set a 10 year call period on a new $750m additional tier one (AT1) trade on Tuesday, as the French bank looked to lock down an attractive cost of capital for as long as it could following an impressive month of performance for the asset class. Spain's BBVA quickly looked to follow suit.

Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM) opened books on a new €500m 10 year bullet tier two on Tuesday, giving investors a rare chance to add exposure to the asset class in the primary market, following an impressive rally in 2017.

Rentenbank will tap a resurgent long end dollar market on Tuesday, alongside a rare appearance in the currency from the Canadian sovereign in fives and a French agency in threes. This is only the second time in nearly two and a half years that issuers have peppered the whole of the dollar curve on the same day.

The five deals which priced in the euro corporate bond market on Monday offered investors a variety of options, including hybrids and floaters. For duration buyers, French motorway operator Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône was in market with a January 2033 maturity.

On Monday, French laboratory testing company Eurofins Scientific followed last Monday’s €299m equity sale with a €300m hybrid deal paying very little new issue premium, as the firm’s funding keeps pace with its acquisitions.

BNP Paribas' management team used the French bank's third quarter earnings call to quash rumours that it was pursuing a major cross-border acquisition in Europe, after the bank was linked to a bid for Commerzbank in September.

Euro corporate bond investors see RCI Banque as a frequent borrower, pricing new issues multiple times a year, but it remains a rare name for sterling investors. Last Friday it sold its first bond in the currency for more than three years.

On Thursday night the French government sold a 4.7% stake in Renault, the car maker, via an accelerated bookbuild that was priced without any discount, thanks largely to its removal of an overhang. The stock leapt on Friday.

NGA UK, the provider of human resources software, launched a €300m loan on Wednesday, which it will be hoping appeals to CLO managers that have been eager for new money deals.

European laboratory testing firm Eurofins secured €299m of capital to support its acquisition strategy, through an accelerated bookbuild run by Jefferies and Berenberg on Monday night.