Natixis

Investors appeared positive on Natixis's prospects after Nicolas Namias replaced François Riahi as chief executive. Meanwhile, the bank has said it will reposition its equities division after it endured another tough quarter.

The State of Lower Saxony was the sole borrower active in the primary public sector bond market on Thursday as it raised €500m with a 10 year at a negative yield. The deal ended up comfortably subscribed in spite of a slow start to the book-build.

The State of Lower Saxony mandated banks on Wednesday to run a 10 year euro benchmark on Thursday, as German states remain the only action in the public sector primary market.

The State of Brandenburg got over the line with a fully subscribed order book and a yield inside its curve on Tuesday, successfully avoiding the fate that its compatriot Berlin met at the tenor last week.

The State of Brandenburg will keep the primary euro public sector bond market ticking on Tuesday after mandating banks for a new 20 year bond for which it hopes to achieve a better outcome than Berlin's deal at the tenor last week.

STMicroelectronics, the French-Italian semiconductor maker, has raised $1.5bn through the sale of new convertible bonds, the company said on Tuesday.

Wordline, the French payments company, has returned to the equity-linked market to sell a new five-year €600m convertible bond at a negative yield.

Russian steel producer Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has raised a €600m syndicated loan, as experts say that the continued presence of Russians in the market during the crisis is down to the resilience they were forced to acquire after years of sanctions.

Fives, the French industrial equipment group, has signed a €200m loan backed by the state, as government-backed facilities continue to prove essential to tackling the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

UniCredit attracted plenty of demand for a €1.25bn sale of non-preferred senior debt in euros on Wednesday, as issuers took advantage of strong funding conditions ahead of the summer period.

Insurance companies saw a favourable window of opportunity this week to sell subordinated debt. Assicurazioni Generali, Crédit Agricole Assurances and CCR Re benefited from the supportive backdrop to raise tier two bonds.

Bankinter continued the additional tier one (AT1) supply spree on Thursday, becoming the third issuer to launch this type of bond this week and receiving praise for the 6.25% coupon it achieved.