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All four of the investment grade corporate bond deals to price so far this week were preceded by investor roadshows. This leaves Verizon as the only publicly acknowledged deal yet to launch, but next week’s European Central Bank meeting may persuade some issuers to bring deals unannounced.

On Wednesday, Italian supermarket chain, Esselunga, became the first non-utility issuer to sell a benchmark corporate bond since Iliad’s €650m deal on October 5. The company’s debut deal saw one tranche priced at a lower yield than Italian government bonds.

Norwegian state owned grid operator, Statnett, priced its debut benchmark euro corporate bond on Wednesday, continuing the recent supply of utility issuers selling longer dated new issues.

China will allow the markets to have a greater influence on the renminbi’s exchange rate, Xi Jinping, president of China, said in the opening speech of the 19th Communist Party Congress on Wednesday.

China’s economic growth will do little to help promote renminbi internationalisation, according to an October 17 report by Swift. The comment came as the renminbi falls to eighth place in the league table of the world’s most used payment currencies.

All four investment grade benchmark corporate bond deals that priced last week were from utilities. On Tuesday, Italian multi-services utility, Iren, and Dutch grid operator, Stedin, took the count to six.

UK grocer Tesco and US telecoms company Verizon both announced tender offers for some of their outstanding bonds in euros and sterling. Tesco is offering to buy up to £700m equivalent, while Verizon will confirm the size of its repurchase once it has sold new euro and sterling bonds.

Finnish property company, Mercada, was a lone issuer in the corporate bond market on Monday. Its €175m five year deal q was printed while issuers that completed roadshows last week paused.

Global Logistic Properties returned to the Panda bond market with a five year note on October 13, raising Rmb1bn ($151.8m). But unlike its last issuance in 2016, GLP opted for the interbank instead of the exchange market, as the company searches for longer-term RMB funding for its China business.

The governor of the People’s Bank of China says the country should redefine corporate debt, China’s GDP growth could rise to 7% in the second half, and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank plan annual forums on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Companies that have priced bonds in Europe this week have paid very small new issue premiums, but only four deals have been priced in euros. The sterling market was almost as busy, with three issues. Bankers are, however, working hard to bring deals to market.

Corporate bond deals are often executed on Fridays to give issuers some space in crowded weeks. However, Friday was one the busiest days of this week, with both euro and sterling investors offered long dated deals to consider.