Société Générale

A new sustainable finance product, which has the potential for huge growth, was launched on Thursday when Enel, the Italian electricity and gas company, issued the first bond in which the interest rate can be altered during the term of the debt, based on the borrower’s sustainability performance.

Arié Boleslawski has joined Natixis to run its equities business.

Thirty year maturities, normally very rare in the euro corporate bond market, have become remarkably popular since the dive in base rates earlier in the summer. In the past 10 days, four multi-tranche deals have been printed that included 30 years, as issuers rushed to take advantage of the exceptional conditions before the European Central Bank monetary policy meeting on September 12.

The frenzy of investment grade corporate bond issuance in Europe intensified on Thursday, when eight companies came to market, issuing a total of €6.6bn of paper in euros. That brought the total for the first four days of this week to over €20bn. Despite the heavy supply, issuers have found sufficient demand to support their notes.

Two Russian steel companies have announced mandates and roadshows this week and look set to become the first corporates from the country to test the bond market since the latest round of US sanctions on their country in early August.

FIG bond bankers are worried, as one put it, that “the steam is coming out of the Kangaroo market” after Thursday’s additional tier 1 (AT1) deal from Société Générale failed to reach the heights of deals from UBS and BNP Paribas earlier in the summer.

Five new corporate bond issues including a €3bn issue from AT&T hit the market on Wednesday, after Danaher had completed its €6.25bn deal on Tuesday, leaving room for more companies to borrow.

A new flurry of investment grade corporate bond issuers jumped into the market on Wednesday morning, after Danaher priced its €6.25bn five-tranche Reverse Yankee note. Getting that deal out of the way gave other corporate borrowers room to bring bonds of their own — and plenty are expected to in the run-up toe the European Central Bank's monetary policy announcement on September 12.

Russian pipe manufacturer Chelyabinsk Pipe Plant has become the second metals company from the country to announce plans for a roadshow this week, joining Severstal. The Chelpipe deal — a $300m Reg S/144A five year senior unsecured note — will be the company's debut in the Eurobond market.

Danaher printed its much anticipated €6.25bn jumbo bond issue on Tuesday. The US conglomerate, rated A2/A, focused its five tranches on intermediate to longer tenors, which corporate syndicate bankers took to indicate where many investors want to put their money.

Two CEEMEA issuers — one of which is a Russian corporate — have mandated for bonds and are heading off on roadshows, ending a barren summer for the asset class.

Russian companies are showing more interest in euro-denominated loans, as funding in the currency becomes cheaper and as US sanctions complicate borrowers’ access to dollars. Siberian Anthracite is expected to close a loan refinancing with a new euro tranche this week, and at least two Russian borrowers are in preliminary discussions with international lenders.