Loans and High Yield

Troubled Italian construction company Astaldi announced on Thursday that it had an offer from rival firm Salini Impregilo to inject €225m of new capital, take over control of the firm, and convert unsecured creditors, including high yield bondholders, into shareholders of the group.

After a quiet start to February, property developers from China are making the most out of a liquid bond market, pricing dollar bonds way inside of initial guidance and still watching their bonds trade well in the aftermarket. The rush shows no signs of slowing down. Addison Gong reports.

PetroVietnam Gas Joint Stock Corp has picked Mizuho as sole mandated lead arranger and bookrunner for a $200m borrowing. It is the latest sign of a boom in southeast Asia’s offshore loan market that is leaving bankers divided on pricing, tenors and covenant packages.

Vingroup Joint Stock Company has made a quick return to the offshore loan market, attempting its third borrowing in 12 months.

Banks met on Tuesday for the first sizeable new money European leveraged loan of 2019: a €1.7bn acquisition loan funding the purchase of Finnish sports equipment company Amer Sports. CVC’s take-private of Swedish installation products maker Ahlsell then hit the market on Wednesday.

One of the most covered aspects of the bond market by more mainstream media in recent months has been the value of triple-B rated corporate debt due to mature in coming years and what problems that might cause in the event of an economic downturn. However, this has prompted investors to start to quell any fears of these risks.

Sunac China Holdings priced a large three year callable bond, taking advantage of the abundant liquidity in the market following Chinese New Year. But investors appeared to hold back when it came to less familiar names.

Biofuels have swollen thanks to policies to combat climate change — even though often, they do not help the problem and can make it worse. This is a shocking record, born of ignorance, both accidental and wilful.

UK department store chain Debenhams has agreed a refinancing with its existing lenders, giving it an extra 12 months and an extra £40m of headroom, along with certain covenant waivers — but the race is on for a full recapitalisation by the end of the second quarter.

Chinese real estate companies Zhenro Properties and China Aoyuan Group reopened the Asian offshore bond market with a bang, as cash rich investors flocked to their transactions.

China Tian Lun Gas has closed an oversubscribed loan worth HK$2bn ($255m) after attracting 13 lenders in general syndication.

Nikko Asset Management said it had hired Richard Kehoe as senior high yield analyst for its global fixed income team in London.