Northeast Asia

Asia’s high yield market has been volatile throughout much of the year, but it has now gone from bad to worse. Secondary prices are diving, investors are becoming increasingly tight-lipped and bankers are starting to play the blame game. Morgan Davis and Addison Gong investigate.

Bank of Communications Hong Kong branch priced two dollar floaters alongside a Hong Kong dollar fixed rate bond on Wednesday, raising close to $1.7bn. A local government financing vehicle from China, Guangzhou Finance Holdings Group Co, wrapped up a $250m maiden bond.

Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG) is the latest Panda issuer to appeal to Bond Connect investors. The red chip company is hoping to make the most of the growing flows through the bond link. But given a short issuance timeline, the issuer is not holding its breath.

Investors poured into Korea Water Resources Corp’s $300m green bond on Tuesday, satiating their thirst after a rare offering from the state-owned issuer. The deal got a boost of liquidity after the bookrunners tapped a growing pool of green-focused investors.

ICBC Financial Leasing broke the silence in Asia’s offshore bond market on Tuesday, returning with a popular $1.5bn dual-tranche floating rate transaction that served as a reminder of just how enthusiastic investors can get when there is the opportunity to hedge away interest risk.

Dyutish Chaudhuri has resigned from Credit Suisse’s equity capital markets syndicate team in Hong Kong, sources close to the matter said.

There is an eerie silence in Asia’s high yield bond market. Issuers have pressed the pause button as they reflect on a nosedive in the secondary market and rising fears about investors hoarding cash.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) may be highlighting the dollar’s dominance rather than the renminbi’s potential in the global economy. But Beijing has other aces up its sleeve, Paola Subacchi, an economist at Chatham House, said at the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting.

More widespread use of the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights could prevent a currency war, Thierry de Longuemar, chief financial officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said on May 4. But the treasurer got little sympathy from other experts at the Asian Development Bank’s meeting.

China's Ascletis Pharma has emerged as the first biotechnology firm to test the waters of Hong Kong’s new listing regime, after filing a draft prospectus on Monday.

Barclays has named veteran prime broker and ex-Credit Suisse executive Matt Pecot as head of equities for Asia Pacific.

Nomura appointed Ting Lu, a former research head at Huatai Securities, as its chief China economist on Tuesday.