France

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.

Corporate hybrid bond investors have been heavily scaled back on their recent orders for new deals, so they will have been pleased by French laboratory testing firm Eurofins Scientific's Halloween Tuesday announcement mandating for its latest deal.

Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) returned to the Swiss franc market after a four year absence on Monday, in order to refinance a Sfr250m ($250.2m) 10 year Swiss franc bond expiring in two weeks’ time — but the French agency had to pay over its euro curve for entry.

London based clearing house LCH Group has revealed that John Horkan, the head of its North American operations, will become COO of the company.

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. On Friday it sold its first bond in the currency for over three years — a bond that has already matured.

The votes are in and the scores have been calculated. Two European borrowers brought benchmarks to market last week and the BondMarker voters have rendered their verdict.