UK

Andrew Bailey is seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’ as the new governor of the Bank of England. But while he is a veteran of the bank, his views on monetary policy are not well known, as he has never served on the Monetary Policy Committee. In that respect, though a career central banker, he resembles Christine Lagarde, who has taken the helm at the European Central Bank.

Singapore-based aircraft leasing company Avation has obtained a green loan to support its purchase of aircraft.

The University of York has raised £160m ($209m) to fund student accommodation via US private placements, becoming the fourth university to enter the market this year.

The shine from last week’s Conservative Party win in the UK general election has worn off in the UK Gilts market, due, in part, to fears that the country may crash out the European Union without a trade deal in place.

Equity capital markets are fully firing again at the end of 2019, after a stressful year, but bankers hoping for a more fruitful 2020 are acutely conscious that most of their hopes are riding on the second quarter window, and that an ugly trinity of political risks is threatening the market. Sam Kerr reports.

As many as 15 to 20 UK local authorities are considering come to the US private placement market in the first half of 2020, according to three investors, after the UK Treasury decided in October to raise the cost it charges councils to borrow from the central government.

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.