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The investment grade corporate bond market started February with the second busiest day of 2018 so far, picking up after a relatively quiet January. Acea, Ford and Prosegur Cia de Seguridad, sold five tranches between them, including two floating rate notes (FRNs), on the first day of the new month.

Two Russian issuers forged ahead with plans to issue Eurobonds this week, despite increasing noise around Russian sanctions that threaten to push spreads wider.

The Republic of Poland exceeded its own and its leads’ hopes when it issued its second green bond this week. Piotr Nowak, undersecretary of state at Poland's finance ministry, told GlobalCapital that with 41% of green accounts participating, the sovereign had succeeded in diversifying its investor base.

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank is set to open its newly authorised UK branch for business next week, with initial plans for wholesale banking and vanilla securities trading.

Two weeks after rating agency S&P softened its stance on the early refinancing of hybrid instruments, Dutch energy distributor Alliander became the first issuer to take advantage when it sold a successful hybrid deal alongside a tender offer for a hybrid bond it issued just over four years ago.

Chinese investors welcomed the first Panda bond issuer from the Middle East with caution this week. The government of the Emirate of Sharjah sold a Rmb2bn ($317.2m) three year bond in the upper half of the coupon range.

France is hoping to add its name to a growing list of sovereigns in China’s Panda bond market, having discussed the possibility with at least two of the country’s biggest state-owned banks.

Chinese regulators have given Standard Chartered the nod to become a joint lead underwriter on corporate Panda bonds, allowing it to take a senior position on deals that it was previously forced to play a junior role on. StanChart is only the second foreign bank to win the approval.

The two previous 100 year corporate bonds sold in the sterling market had received excellent responses and on Wednesday London-based charity the Wellcome Trust joined the century club, proving that investors' demand for ultra long bonds is far from satisfied.

The Republic of Poland has set final terms for its €1bn 8.5 year green bond, with books over €3.4bn at the last market update. A banker away from the deal called the final level tight.

Italian toll road operator Società Iniziative Autostradali e Servizi (SIAS) followed a four day investor roadshow with its third 10 year bond this week. A €1.9bn order book allowed the company to print its largest ever deal at a much tighter spread than its previous two offerings.

In just over a month, Italy will hold its latest general election. With the polls suggesting a healthy lead for a centre right coalition the effect on investment grade corporate spreads has been negligible so far. However, research house CreditSights believes investors should be looking more closely.