Société Générale

Antoine Broquereau has been appointed as head of global markets UK at Société Générale. He has been tasked with concentrating particularly on equity derivatives and structured products, at a time when the bank has been considering how to streamline its global markets activities.

ABB, the Swiss-Swedish machinery maker, issued an unusual bond on Tuesday: an 18 month floating rate note that grew as large as €1bn.

Elis, the French workwear and laundry group, took advantage of a corporate bond market eager for yieldy paper on Tuesday by issuing a €500m five year high yield bond that found a friendly reception.

Société Générale has appointed a new group country head for Russia, replacing Didier Hauguel, who is stepping down to focus on charity work.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has extended the maturity of its €6.25bn syndicated bank facility, as loan market activity picks up at the beginning of the second quarter.

The Slovak Republic kick-started its 2019 international bond issuance on Tuesday, printing a €1bn 11 year, drawing a book of over €5bn. It paid a “minimal” new issue concession, according to lead managers.

Eager demand for hybrid capital issues, amid an environment of low rates, was on show again on Monday, when LafargeHolcim issued its first big deal of this kind. The pricing was tightened by an exceptional amount during the bookbuild — 69bp.

Following European bond issues by Volkswagen Financial Services, Volvo Car and RCI Banque last week, another car company entered the market on Monday. Toyota Finance Australia issued a two and five year bond that showed the market was very much open for business and full of demand.

Neopost, the French postal equipment maker, is marketing a dual currency Schuldschein, becoming the latest in a run of French firms to enter the market.

RCI Banque followed Volkswagen Financial Services’ triple tranche bond issue on Monday with its own two-part issue on Wednesday. Both car finance banks, as very regular issuers, are unlikely to command the absolute tightest pricing relative to their secondary curves, but demand has also cooled somewhat this week, compared with the avid tone of recent weeks. Nevertheless, pricing tightened a long way.

Europe’s most prolific corporate bond issuer re-entered the market on Monday for its second multi-tranche deal of the year, and issued €2.75bn, slightly more than at its €2.5bn outing in January. The book for Volkswagen Financial Services’ three tranche issue was somewhat smaller this time, however.

Rating: Baa3/BBB-/BBB-