UK

Shares in Aston Martin Lagonda, the UK maker of luxury cars, surged by more than 20% on Friday morning after the company unveiled a £500m rescue deal led by Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian billionaire Formula One investor. Sources close to the deal discuss his plan to transform the company, which has struggled since it listed in 2018.

Credit Suisse secured the lowest spread for a Yankee bank referencing the secured overnight financing rates (Sofr) on Thursday, breaking the previous record set just over a week ago.

During a recent market consultation, Gilt investors called on the UK Debt Management Office to issue floating rate notes linked to Sonia, the Bank of England’s recommended replacement for Libor. There are plenty of reasons why this is a good idea.

BPHA, a housing association headquartered in Bedford, is looking to sell US private placements, according to several market sources, as private debt remains readily available for UK HAs.

Lloyds Bank and National Australia Bank issued two very well received Sonia linked sterling covered bonds this week, taking advantage of demand spotted in a deal issued by Royal Bank of Canada last week.

The first bond from the UK’s five year old Municipal Bonds Agency will be launched in the next week or two and, thanks to some tweaking of the agency's operating practices, more are set to follow, writes Lewis McLellan.

UK soft drinks company Britvic has entered the US private placement (USPP) market via Rabobank and Santander, on the hunt for sterling debt. As the issuer is a regular and well-loved borrower among institutional investors, the transaction has been described by one banker as “as easy as they come.”

The buy side is keen to be able to buy Gilts that pay a coupon linked to Sonia, investors have told GlobalCapital. The matter was also raised with the UK Debt Management Office, according to the minutes of its latest consultation meeting.

The IPO of Calisen, the UK manufacturer of smart energy meters, was covered on its full size on the first day of marketing. Banks on the deal were pleased with the speed of the bookbuild and the quality of investors placing orders.

National Australia Bank attracted healthy demand for its £1bn five year Sonia-linked covered bond issued on Tuesday, pricing the deal much tighter than where Commonwealth Bank of Australia issued two weeks ago with more demand and at an equivalent cost of euro funding.

Société Générale has mandated leads for a green covered bond, the second to be issued under its Positive Impact framework. At the same time Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw is due with a sub-benchmark Pfandbrief.

Calisen Group, the UK operator of smart meters, has set a price range for its IPO on the London Stock Exchange, following a constructive investor education process. It will come at a discount to listed peers.