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The stars aligned for French drink company Pernod Ricard’s return to the bond market, with the issuer printing flat to its curve, or even through it by some estimates, in its first outing since being upgraded by two credit rating agencies.

France’s Pernod Ricard is in the market on Monday for a €1.5bn trade, with the drinks company striking while the iron is hot to print debt after being upgraded by two agencies last week.

ING Poland has issued its first covered bond, a deal secured on green assets denominated in zloty. The issuer plans to return early next year with its first euro denominated green covered bond in benchmark size, said chief executive Boda Miroslaw,

Mann+Hummel, a veteran borrower in the Schuldschein market, struggled to place a Schuldschein, according to market sources, with participants citing ZF Friedrichshafen’s blockbuster transaction as well as the market’s over-indulgence in the auto sector this year as chief reasons.

Russian potash producer Uralkali hit the market on Tuesday, tightening pricing on a $500m bond issue, the borrower's first international deal since 2013. DCM bankers are confident Russian issuance will continue to fill the market throughout the fourth quarter, as Norilsk Nickel began a roadshow.

The Schuldschein market has for many centuries attracted buy-and-hold investors, but this may change as some arranging banks are offering lenders opportunities to buy sections of their own Schuldschein positions. But many fear that the whiff of secondary markets will see regulators reclassify the instrument as a security, instead of a loan.

Kernel, a Ukrainian agricultural producer, hit the market on Thursday with a five year non-call three bond and raised $300m with a trade that bankers said was tricky to price.

Kernel, a Ukrainian agricultural producer, hit the market on Thursday with a five year non-call three year. In spite of fears around Ukraine’s future relationship with the IMF, the leads have set initial price thoughts at a level onlookers are calling “aggressive”.

UK coach operator National Express has sold roughly $500m-equivalent US private placements, in dollars, euros and sterling, with substantial delayed draws.

Greece and the Province of Québec won strong books in the euro public sector bond market on Tuesday, with the latter returning to the currency for the first time since June 2018. An attractive basis swap for dollar funders to issue in euros has tempted the International Development Association (IDA) out on screens for its first euro benchmark.

Ark Data Centres has signed a £450m loan, with the UK technology data centre company breaking a long term trend in Europe’s loan market to more than double its lending syndicate.

Fitch Ratings said on Monday that it expected Portuguese banks would issue up to €9bn of senior debt for the minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) in the coming years, as they work concurrently on cleaning up the asset sides of their balance sheets.