Italy

Italy received record-breaking demand for a long end syndication this week, overtaking its previous record set only last month. But it wasn’t all positive for Italy, as its bonds took a hit after the European Commission cut the country’s growth forecast on Thursday.

Italy passed a test at the long end of the curve with a final order book of over €41bn for a 30 year syndication on Wednesday — far surpassing its previous record book that was set only last month.

Italy will test peripheral sovereign appetite in the long end after hitting screens on Tuesday for a 30 year syndication.

Società per la Gestione di Attività (SGA), Italy’s bad loan management vehicle, is preparing to sell its first senior unsecured bond in the euro market. The company’s funding needs have risen amid a growing focus on cleaning up the Italian banking sector.

In this round-up, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) hired from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for its top job, Sinopec’s trading arm revealed a substantial trading loss for last year, and the annual report from the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) shows growth in both bond volumes and investor type.

Banca Monte Dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) achieved a strong result for its first Obbligazioni Bancarie Garantite (OBG) since 2015, sending a strong signal to investors, and particularly those of its struggling subordinated bonds.

Banca Carige is set to raise €2bn of new funding through the sale of two government-backed senior bonds, after the Italian finance ministry gave it the go-ahead this week.

Dollar SSA issuance picked up in earnest this week after a slower than usual start to the year, with a rich variety of borrowers printing deals, some in record size or with record books. Conditions are such that SSA bankers are confident supply will keep coming and demand stay high for the next few weeks — cheering news for one sovereign issuer looking to make a comeback in the currency.

Mere mention of the words non-performing and loans together has the power to make markets quake, regardless of whether the details are good, bad or neutral.

Rating: Baa3/BBB/BBB

High grade bond markets have made a flying start to the year, defying the expectations of a bear market in fixed income following the end of the European Central Bank’s asset purchase programme and tightening of monetary policy in the US. Instead of the expected cautious tone, investors have been fuelling record order books, big deals and strong performance in the secondary markets, write Burhan Khadbai and Nigel Owen.

Never mind the fact that Italian banks are unable to fund themselves economically. If a few can demonstrate access to the Obbligazioni Bancarie Garantite market, the European Central Bank’s impending third targeted long term refinancing operation (TLTRO) might look less like a bailout.