Loans and High Yield

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union cast extreme uncertainty over the economy, the values and even the unity of the country. Its ramifications for domestic companies’ financing capabilities has been both more obvious and more benign, however. Max Bower reports.

Will 2017 be a year for new conquests in the European leveraged finance markets? No one believes so. Rather, there will be a tug of war between high yield bonds and loans for issuance, better funding costs and investors’ cash. Victor Jimenez and Max Bower report.

Hong Kong-listed Longfor Properties has sealed a Rmb3bn ($431m) fundraising with a Chinese bank at the helm.

Logan Property Holdings raised a quick $200m from five non call three notes on Thursday, two years after its last international public transaction.

Fitch on Thursday left a cautionary message on the high yield market's prospects for next year: issuance will be tame, especially from single-B borrowers, and there are several reasons for that.

Apax Partners closed its ninth fund at a hard cap of $9bn this week, as the private equity community adds to its record amounts of dry powder amid difficult buyout conditions.

Dedalus Holding, the Italian clinical health software company controlled by private equity firm Ardian, is set to list on the Third Market of the Vienna Börse a €72m floating rate note to refinance its debt.

Wanda Commercial Properties Hong Kong is due to sign a syndicated loan facility at $487.5m, slightly lower than the launch size of $500m. But a few more banks that were unable to make the deadline are expected to come in later, which will allow the company to boost the deal size.

Chinese property developer Fantasia Holdings Group added $100m to its existing five non call three notes with a tap on Tuesday, reaching its goal to raise $500m from the dollar debt market this year.

A subsidiary of Malaysian telecommunications company Axiata Group has expanded the bookrunner group of a $400m loan, which was overhauled and boosted from the original $100m in November.

The number of European direct lending deals increased 6% in the first three quarters of 2016, thanks largely to activity in mainland Europe, according to recent Deloitte research. Deals have also got bigger.

Första AP Fonden, the Skr300bn government buffer fund of Sweden’s national pension system, is planning to diversity its high yield allocation in favour of the European and global high yield markets.