North America

VOLQ futures, a contract based on the Nasdaq 100 volatility index, is set to be available in time for investors to hedge potential volatility as a result of the US presidential election. Tim McCourt, global head of equity index and alternative investments at CME Group — which is launching the product — said that investors could use VOLQ in conjunction with the VIX, run by rival CBOE Global Markets.

Momentum in the burgeoning green convertible bond market has continued this week with a new $125m issue from Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Inc (HASI), the New York-listed real estate investment trust focused on sustainable properties and assets.

Over $2.4bn of new convertible bonds have been issued into the US equity-linked market so far this week with the pace of deals showing little sign of slowing down in August, a traditionally quieter month of the year in other regions.

Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings, parent of Chinese online brokerage Futu Securities, has raised $313.5m from a follow-on offering, hitting the market on the back of a more than 200% surge in its share price this year.

The fear of a volatile and bitterly contested US election between Donald Trump and Democratic Party challenger Joe Biden is likely to create a keen sense of urgency for companies seeking to sell equity when the European market reopens at the end of this month.

Grant Thornton LLP, the US affiliate of the international accounting firm, is raising money via the private placement market for the first time in almost 20 years, according to market sources. Grant Thornton LLP follows into the market the US arms of Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, who have each raised PPs in the past three months.

Envestnet Inc, the US provider of software to the wealth management industry, has raised $450m via the sale of a new convertible bond, joining the horde of software companies that have tapped the equity-linked market during the pandemic.

The government of Bermuda turned to bond markets for the first time since November 2018 on Monday, raising $1.35bn of new notes to repay debt and fund fiscal spending including Covid-19 measures.

Futu Holdings, parent of Hong Kong-based brokerage Futu Securities, has kicked off bookbuilding for a follow-on of primary stock.

This week in Keeping Tabs: whether investors are prepared for the impact of a Joe Biden win on environmental policy, how bond and syndicated loan markets diverged in the crisis, and a crypto app that tanked.

Germany’s CureVac has gone public on the Nasdaq, joining the army of biotech companies that have tapped the equity capital markets for cash during the pandemic, despite growing concern of a brewing dot-com style bubble.

Soaring demand and tight spreads lured repeat borrowers as summer dollar bond supply soared with $34bn of new issuance crammed into four days.