Nordics

Axactor, the Nordic debt management company, has raised Nkr598m ($75.3m) to part finance the creation of a new jointly-owned investment portfolio with John Fredriksen, the Norwegian-born oil tanker and shipping magnate.

Danish ferry operator Scandlines has refinanced all its debt with BBB rated bank loans and notes in the European and US private placement markets.

Göran Robertsson took over management of the debt management department of the Riksgälden, Sweden’s national debt office, on Tuesday.

The GC BondMarker voters have delivered their verdict on last week's benchmarks. Voters evaluated a dual tranche from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and dollar trades from the Province of Alberta, Sweden and Land NRW.

Nederlandse Waterschapsbank this week became the first European SSA to print in the Swiss franc market since 2015, followed by Municipality Finance two days later. Favourable moves in the euro/Swiss franc basis, alongside rising Swiss interest rates, opened a window for old borrowers to return.

Municipality Finance on Thursday became the second European SSA to enter the Swiss franc market this week, after Nederlandse Waterschapsbank became the first European SSA to place Swiss bonds since 2015.

Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

Public sector issuers are enjoying a rare time in dollars, with a lack of supply and strong demand allowing tightly priced short end deals — leading one syndicate official to respond to a question on pricing concessions with: “New issue what?” But hopes of longer end issuance appear dashed as US yields fall as quickly as expectations that US president Donald Trump will deliver on his pro-growth policies.

A pair of three year prints in dollars provoked very different reactions from GC BondMarker voters in the second quarter. Read on to find out more in this week’s BondMarker round-up, which looks at the most notable dollar deals of the last quarter.

The Province of Alberta on Wednesday passed its first bond market test since suffering a double downgrade from S&P in May. Bankers away from the trade said it was a “good outcome”, despite having to pay a bit of concession — unlike most other dollar deals over the last few weeks.

Sweden on Tuesday printed a dollar benchmark at one of the tightest spreads to mid-swaps from a public sector issuer this year, as a Canadian province prepared to bring a deal in the currency further out the curve.

A pair of public sector issuers look set to benefit from supply-starved dollar investors, after mandating on Monday for deals at the very short end of the curve.