HSBC

China Eastern Airlines returned to the offshore renminbi market on Thursday, taking Rmb2.5bn ($407m) on a stellar day for the dim sum market which saw China Construction Bank raise Rmb4bn.

Just months after sealing a $1.32bn-equivalent loan, Battersea Power Station is mulling a return to the sterling market for a much larger facility that can be between $1.67bn and $5bn.

Syndicate bankers are primed for a busy period in dollars next week following the smooth execution of four benchmarks in the currency this week despite uncertainty and volatility caused by the situation in Ukraine.

British American Tobacco raised €1bn in the bond market on Monday, completing a hat-trick of deals by the three leading European cigarette makers. The transaction’s heavy oversubscription suggested there had been no impact either from the clustering of tobacco issuance, or from Russia’s alarming intervention in Ukraine.

Premier Foods priced the high yield bond component of its recapitalisation package at the tight end of guidance on Thursday, while increasing the deal, amid rampant demand for risky debt.

Piraeus Bank is set to become the first Greek financial institution to print a bond since the country’s bail-out in 2010, and the stage is set for a big success after fellow periphery Banco Popolare built one of the biggest books for a senior unsecured deal in recent memory this week.

Bank and finance names enjoyed a rapturous response from investors who this week poured dollars into high grade deals.

Guarantor: Republic of Austria

Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

A first ever syndication for Community of Extremadura — and its largest ever deal — this week could be a sign of things to come, according to bankers. With a more than doubly oversubscribed book and strong international participation, the deal provided evidence that even issuers without much investor recognition can enjoy the benefit of the rally in the eurozone periphery that has run since the start of the year.

Praxair, the US industrial gases group, launched its first bond outside dollars on Tuesday, with a €600m six-year issue that was priced tightly, though still at a concession to Linde and Air Liquide, its main European peers.

Belgium, KfW and the European Financial Stability Facility could be first in line with euro benchmarks after issuers largely avoided a tricky time this week that included German holidays, a European Central Bank rates decision and uncertainty over the stand-off between Ukraine and Russia.