News content

This week started very strongly in the investment grade euro corporate bond market with nine tranches issued in the first two days. However, the rest of the week yielded just the one. Syndicate managers are not worried though about a lack of supply next week.

Net FX sales by Chinese bank are down 75% month-on-month in August, an advisor to the People’s Bank of China urges push for renminbi internationalisation as the currency strengthens, and Portugal hires banks for its first Panda bond issuance.

Investors bought into attractive yields from triple-B rated issuers that jumped into the US corporate bond market ahead of the Fed’s well flagged announcement that it would reverse quantitative easing.

Gatwick Airport brought the second sterling investment grade corporate bond of the week on Thursday, following Pennon’s £300m hybrid on Monday.

Canadian car parts maker Magna International and French property company Gecina both priced 10 year deals in the European corporate bond market this week. Magna had waited two years since its last euro issue, Gecina just three months.

Spanish gas distribution company NorteGas Energía Distribución was the only investment grade corporate bond issuer in the euro corporate bond market on Thursday. Its debut deal was a €1.3bn five year and 10 year dual tranche offering with order books totalling €5.4bn.

Autostrade per l’Italia, the Italian toll road operator, on Monday printed a €700m 12 year deal to finance a tender offer for up to €650m shorter dated bonds.

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meeting last week created a midweek pause in sterling issuance. However, once the meeting passed, Land Securities reopened the market with a £1bn pair of long dated tranches last Friday.

The UK water and waste company Pennon, which owns South West Water and Viridor, got an overwhelming response to its £300m hybrid offering on Monday. Investors clearly signalled their approval of the unrated company’s growth strategy.

Engie, the French energy group, priced its second green bond transaction of 2017 on Tuesday. The triple trancher contained two green clips and took the issuer’s tally to six different green bonds. As issuers start to establish genuine green curves, they are starting to create their own sector, writes Nigel Owen.

Order books for the dual tranche high yield bond deal from German pharmaceutical company, Stada, closed at noon on Thursday. Such was the demand for the secured tranche that the deal was was increased by €250m.

Aside from the leveraged deals for Stada and Miller Homes, three sub-investment grade borrowers printed deals in the high yield corporate bond market on Thursday. The three issuers all used different tenors to raise a combined €1.06bn.