Morgan Stanley

Westpac Banking Corp made a triumphant return to the Samurai market this week, pricing an ¥80bn five year fixed rate trade in line with initial guidance, its first Samurai deal in two years.

China Aluminium International Engineering (Chalieco) has launched guidance for its debut international bond, opting for a non call three senior perpetual.

Agile Property Holdings was out in the market with its debut dim sum bond on Friday, joining a host of other repeat issuers and making the most of cheaper funding opportunities.

The dim sum market is in full swing this week, with Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance, Unilever and China Citic Bank all pricing three year deals on Thursday.

The list of Chinese firms eyeing up an US IPO has just gotten longer thanks to mobile game developer Chukong Tech, which is planning to raise $150m in the second half of the year, according to a banker close to the deal.

Banco Comercial Português’ successful return to the euro senior unsecured market was driven more by renewed demand for its name than a hunt for yield, said lead managers, in a week where the only fresh paper issued carried a sub-investment grade rating.

The US investment grade corporate bond market sprang back to life this week as four big issuers hit the market in quick succession on Thursday, after multi-billion dollar deals from Novartis and Comcast earlier in the week.

The burgeoning green bond sector took two important strides this week, as the European Investment Bank increased an outstanding deal to the largest volume on record and the African Development Bank entered the Scandinavian capital markets for the first time with its second ever green bond.

Westpac Banking Corp is set to print its first benchmark Samurai transaction in almost two years as Japan’s central bank ploughs on with the monetary easing policy that has made yields on foreign banks’ bonds more attractive to domestic buyers.

Corporate bond issuance is set to get busier again in Europe next week, bankers say, with a drive-by deal also possible on Friday.

GTT, the LNG membranes firm, began bookbuilding on a €675m IPO on Monday, hoping that it could capture demand as investors move into more defensive stocks. The deal was covered on Tuesday.

Banco Comercial Português’ successful return to the senior unsecured market was driven more by renewed demand for its name than a general pick-up in eurozone sentiment and a hunt for yield, said bankers who worked on the deal.