North America

Nationwide Building Society and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group joined in a Yankee stampede to the dollar market on Thursday, as issuers exploited red-hot funding conditions while markets rallied on a dovish message from US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

Deutsche Bank’s strategic overhaul looks set to maintain the bank’s leading position in debt capital markets and leveraged finance. But it casts doubts over Deutsche’s ability to retain a top tier corporate finance franchise and could signal the slow death of its equity capital markets franchise, writes David Rothnie.

The chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has insisted he will stand firm against any attempts by president Donald Trump to sack him as head of the central bank. Powell also warned that Facebook’s Libra currency plans raise concerns about financial stability.

Debt capital markets bankers covering Mexico do not expect the resignation of finance minister Carlos Urzúa on Tuesday to affect incoming bond issues though they acknowledge that his departure could create uncertainty.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) returned to the covered bond market for the second time this week following its dollar benchmark and, thanks to a late rise in yields, the eight year deal offered more than twice the return of CIBC's eight year issued a week ago.

Last week’s tightly priced bond issue by KfW has inspired a slew of issuers to print three year dollar notes this week, a banker said. The Asian Development Bank was first off the blocks on Tuesday with a new benchmark, and Export Development Canada and Erste Abwicklungsanstalt are set to follow.

Toronto Dominion took advantage of strong demand on Monday to issue a $1.75bn three year covered bond, which was priced almost flat fair value.

Two Mexican companies announced bond roadshows on Monday, in combination with buybacks of 2022 notes, as Latin American borrowers continue to try to use liability management to take advantage of low rates to refinance debt.

Chinese online game streaming platform DouYu has launched a Nasdaq IPO, having delayed its plans in May amid tumultuous markets.

Toronto Dominion opened order books on Monday for the third dollar benchmark covered bond from a Canadian issuer this year and, like the others, it has also chosen to issue a three year.

In this round-up, US and China will resume trade talks next week, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley near 51% stakes in their Chinese joint ventures (JVs), and China’s foreign minister offered a strong-worded rebuttal to the UK’s stand on Hong Kong protests.

Two Latin American companies announced bond roadshows this week, with a third launching a tender that will require a new issue, as the region’s issuers flock to the low rate environment and gradually rehabilitate disappointing issuance volumes.