Natixis

The UK Debt Management Office (DMO) is keeping its options open on a planned syndication for September, as Gilt yields fell following polls showing the opposition Labour Party was gaining ground on the ruling Conservatives ahead of next week’s UK general election.

Corporate bond issuance in Europe slowed to a trickle on Thursday after a gush of trades on Wednesday, as investors said they were growing increasingly tired of the recently popular execution method of offering a chunky spread at initial price thoughts, only to tighten markedly by final pricing.

Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) sold its largest ever sterling bond on Thursday, raising £300m with a three year deal.

Three banks will supply funds to back private equity firm Partners Group's acquisition of business process outsourcing firm SPi Global.

MS, CS promotions in Oz — ABN Amro FIG hire — Natixis names new fixed income head — Pakistan returns to MSCI EM — Citi Korea boosts overseas reach with new desks

The UK Debt Management Office is keeping its options open on a planned syndication for September, a deal some investors feel the sovereign should use to push its conventional curve out to 2072. Meanwhile, a French agency is bringing its first syndication in sterling for over two years.

Ivory Coast is using the strong investor bid for sub-Saharan Africa to fund in euros, to which its currency is pegged, and to reduce its dollar liabilities with a buyback. The deal is the latest example of borrowers from the region making smart use of the larger box of funding tools now available to them.

Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical, a crude oil refiner affiliated to Sinochem Group, has increased ts debut international borrowing to $270m from $110m.

Natixis has hired former Goldman Sachs banker Ashish Jain as head of fixed income, commodities and equity derivatives sales for southeast Asia and Australia, part of an expansion of its cross-asset solutions in the region.

Rating: Unrated

Sparebanken Sør Boligkreditt and Société Générale enjoyed solid receptions for their covered bonds this week, with the Norwegian issuer pricing flat to its curve.

The triumphant return of Banco Comercial Português to the covered bond market this week after an eight year absence marks a turning point, not just for the bank but the Obrigações Hipotecárias market as a whole.