ING

Russian nickel and palladium producer Norilsk Nickel has refinanced an existing facility and in the process has increased the size of the deal and shaved the margins. According to bank lenders, the deal is one of many expected to enter the market by Russian borrowers seeking to obtain more attractive terms amid a drought in activity.

ING was praised for pricing a coupon of 4.875% in what was the only financial institution trade of the week in the euro market. The lender had to brave much tougher market conditions in its second attempt at this bond issue, having pulled its first attempt amid news of its chief executive jumping ship.

ING left its investors bemused on Wednesday, when it decided to pull the additional tier one (AT1) bond it was marketing on the basis of undisclosed information it had received. After the news of its chief executive’s move to UBS quickly became public, the door was left open for the bank to complete the trade.

US bond market tourists poured into high grade euros this week, where tiny concessions and a cheap overall cost of funding saw a string of successful trades.

A lack of credible internal candidates and a desire for stability across its divisions led UBS to cast the net wider to find a successor to chief executive Sergio Ermotti. It has appointed ING CEO Ralph Hamers.

Renewable energy company Vena Energy stumped Asian investors with its debut bond sale on Wednesday, relying instead on heavy support from Europe.

ING Groep postponed the sale of an additional tier one after clocking up $11bn of demand in the dollar market on Wednesday. At the same time, Arion Bank was looking to launch a $100m deal in the same format — the lowest volume on record in dollars.

US companies piled into the euro bond market on Tuesday, as white goods maker Whirlpool, Dow Chemical and apparel company VF Corp launched medium to long maturity debt.

ASML Holding, the Dutch lithography systems company, visited the euro bond market on Monday, as the bid for corporate credit remains strong, heading towards a March that is expected to be very busy.

Bank of America signalled the last hurrah of post-earnings supply by Wall Street heavyweights when it hit the market on Monday with a $5bn bond.

The UK’s Gerald Group has signed its annual dollar revolving credit facility, with the metals trader growing the size of its banking group and increasing the size of its deal to $253.5m.

High grade corporate bond investors in Europe will have a range of names to pick from in the coming days, as US white goods maker Whirlpool mandates for euros and UK utility Welsh Water hires banks for a dual tranche sterling deal.