UK

Greencoat Capital, the investment manager of London listed funds Greencoat UK Wind and Greencoat Renewables plc, is eying a strong pipeline of acquisitions in the UK wind power market. However, green-hungry equity investors may have to wait a while before seeing further capital raises from the firm, its chief executive, Stephen Lilley, told GlobalCapital.

A €200m bond add-on for UK-based car maker Jaguar Land Rover, announced on Tuesday, follows €800m of unsecured notes issued in mid-November. Jaguar was drawn to a balmy post-election market that rewarded it with favourable pricing and encouraged it to increase the deal.

The Bank of England said it will increase the countercyclical buffer by 100bp for UK banks after disclosing the results of its latest stress test this week. As the sector performed well in the test, the new capital requirements are being interpreted as a ‘Brexit buffer’ to help institutions withstand the risk of economic turmoil at the end of 2020.

This week's funding scorecard looks at the progress European sovereigns have made in their funding programmes as we approach the end of 2019, with some issuers also setting their funding targets for 2020.

Multiplex cinema chain Cineworld is betting on rapid expansion as it pours more billions into another North American acquisition. Cineworld, which is among the most shorted companies in the UK, plans to acquire Canadian competitor Cineplex in a $2.1bn deal financed by debt. This plan comes nine months after it made a $3.6bn acquisition in the US.

Equity capital markets bankers see a strong opportunity for UK block trades, as sellers may be tempted to take advantage of the country’s strong post-election rally.

There are fundamental reasons for UK assets to be revalued upwards, analysts believe. The powerful majority achieved by Boris Johnson's Conservatives tilts the UK towards a Trump-like market-friendly, fiscally generous patch. But the reality of Brexit cannot be ignored for long.

The solid victory for the Conservative Party in the UK election has given investors a burst of confidence. But the rise in rates has proved short-lived and is unlikely to spark any supranational, sovereign and agency sterling issuance. Meanwhile, the outlook for the Bank of England has become slightly more hawkish.

Nerves in the foreign exchange market had been tense in the run-up to Thursday night’s UK election, with a rumour that Labour would win more seats than predicted sparking some volatility in the FX options market. But that was swiftly quashed when TV broadcasters’ exit poll showed a Conservative majority and brought volatility to a swift halt.

There were audible sighs of relief on equity capital markets desks on Friday morning as Boris Johnson delivered a hefty Conservative majority in the UK general election. Bankers are now prepping for a busy 2020 and a solid UK issuance calendar. A state block trade of Royal Bank of Scotland shares is among the most anticipated chunks of business for next year.

The Conservative Party’s strong win in Thursday’s general election is thrilling the UK’s financial sector and business world on Friday. Shares in UK banks and house builders — the very domestic sectors seen as most at risk of a hard Brexit or weak UK economy — have soared by 10% and more, while bond yields, especially for banks, have tightened sharply.

Capital markets are set for a surge of adrenalin on Friday after Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party secured a thumping majority in the UK’s general election, removing a huge weight of uncertainty about Brexit. With hopes also leaping of a US-China trade deal, government bonds, equities and sterling will all move in a risk-on direction on Friday — the only question is how far.