NatWest Markets

Syndication for the $3.2bn portion of Tata Steel’s $5.6bn borrowing is progressing well, with the deal already receiving $750m worth of commitments, said a banker. Nine banks have committed so far and a handful more are expected to join before close.

Two US blue chips issued a combined €4.8bn of bonds a day apart this week, demonstrating the euro market's attractiveness to US issuers and its capacity to absorb large amounts of paper. Bankers expect more US companies to dive in soon, while the swap market remains favourable.

Three issuers from France, Belgium and Germany raised €2.5bn in the covered bond market this week, and another €1bn transaction was expected from a Finnish issuer on Friday. The deals were all remarkable for the fact that the funding levels set new records for all issuers as the ECB’s allocation continued to grow, squeezing out other investors.

Fines UK authorities imposed on Royal Bank of Scotland could herald a much greater focus from bank overseers on operational risk — and the willingness to use penalties to keep banks in line.

Reliance Jio Infocomm’s $1.5bn dual tranche loan that opened in September has been allocated among 26 lenders, 11 of which joined during general syndication. Thin pricing did not stop Taiwanese, Japanese and Middle Eastern lenders from piling into the deal, as it gave them a chance to form a relationship with India’s biggest private sector company.

IBM launched an opportunistic euro bond issue on Wednesday, taking advantage of strong market conditions to sell €1bn of 8.5 year bonds with a minimal new issue premium - and according to one banker, much tighter than its dollar curve.

Indonesian oil and gas company Pertamina, which mandated 12 lenders for its $1.8bn five year loan in October, launched the facility into general syndication on November 18.

Indonesian oil and gas company Pertamina, which mandated 12 lenders for its $1.8bn five year loan in October, launched the facility into general syndication on November 18.

Mercialys, the French property company spun off from supermarkets group Casino, priced a €550m 8.3 year bond on Tuesday, in conjunction with a buyback offer for its €650m 2019 bond, to extend its debt maturity profile.

Reliance Jio Infocomm’s $1.5bn dual tranche loan that opened in September has been allocated among 26 lenders, 11 of which joined during general syndication. Thin pricing did not stop Taiwanese, Japanese and Middle Eastern lenders from piling into the deal, as it gave them a chance to form a relationship with India’s biggest private sector company.

British Sky Broadcasting, the UK pay TV company, priced €850m and £750m of listed bonds on Monday over three maturities to fund its acquisition of Sky Deutschland. The deal was no blowout — one tranche was priced at the level of initial price thoughts, the others only 5bp tighter — but with an additional €400m from a private placement on the same day, Sky says it has now completed the financing for its acquisitions.

US medical equipment manufacturer Thermo Fisher Scientific on Monday issued its first public bond in euros, a €640m transaction maturing in April 2025.