Mizuho

Mizuho Bank opened the Japanese Panda bond market on January 12, sharing the title of first issuer in the category with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG). But instead of aiming for a blockbuster transaction, Mizuho treaded carefully – raising just Rmb500m ($77m) from the debut deal.

Mizuho Financial Group has appointed Tatsufumi Sakai as its new president and group chief executive, succeeding Yasuhiro Sato, who is becoming the bank’s chairman.

Chinese conglomerate Tencent brought cheer to the dollar bond market on Thursday as it tapped pent-up demand with a four-part benchmark trade that amassed a $40bn order book.

Ford Automotive Finance (China) is preparing for a Rmb4bn ($614m) deal in the onshore asset-backed securities market – the first by a foreign originator in 2018. But the carmaker is not in the mood for change in the New Year, sticking with the same format it printed in last August.

On Wednesday French toll road operator Autoroutes du Sud de la France followed the path its compatriot Orange had taken on Tuesday by issuing a €1bn 12 year new issue. Meanwhile Italian auto finance bank FCA Bank was also in the market with its first benchmark floating rate note.

Dollar investors had plenty of Chinese property bonds to choose from this week, with four issuers competing for their attention on Tuesday. But with no end in sight to the pipeline, companies will have to navigate the market carefully, or cough up a premium for their bonds.

Property companies Country Garden Holdings Co (CoGard), Times Property Holdings, Tahoe Group Co and Wharf Real Estate Investment Company hit the dollar debt market in force on Tuesday.

Country Garden Holdings Company (CoGard) and SEA Holdings are planning their comebacks to the offshore debt market, while Wharf Real Estate Investment Co is set to test its luck with accounts for the first time.

The response to Tata Motors' £640m ($839m) refinancing has been phenomenal, with the loan generating commitments exceeding $1bn, said bankers close to the situation.

The dollar market picked up where it left off in 2017 with tight pricing and bulging order books as borrowers hit the ground running.

Refresco’s $1.25bn acquisition of Cott’s drinks bottling business raises monopoly concerns, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said this week. But market sources see a quick fix ahead.

A $350m-equivalent yen denominated borrowing for Indian power financier National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC) has entered primary syndication, testing the market’s appetite for a 10 year maturity.