UniCredit

Italy’s capital markets bankers are keeping calm amid the coronavirus crisis, getting used to working from home, and trying to support clients as well as they can, while wishing for help from Europe and the European Central Bank. But they are not allowing themselves to hope the worst is over. The health crisis is acute and getting worse.

Banks are going to play an outsized role in softening the economic impact of Covid-19 in the euro area.

Europe's high grade corporate bond issuers are being pushed into tight issuing windows by volatility caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus. But investors are prepared for this and so far deals have found strong backing.

Schneider Electric, the French electrical equipment company, and Carlsberg, the Danish brewer, zipped through the open window for corporate bond issuance on Wednesday, as bankers say coronavirus volatility has made this a market for opportunists.

German auto and industrial supplier Schaeffler has launched an inaugural Schuldschein. The funds will be used in accordance with its green finance framework.

US corporates leapt on the chance to print euros this week, with Honeywell, Berkshire Hathaway and Schlumberger all finding plenty of demand in the currency.

Dürr is looking for its second sustainability-linked Schuldschein, after the listed mechanical and plant engineering firm launched its first issue in the format last May.

Russian nickel and palladium producer Norilsk Nickel has refinanced an existing facility and in the process has increased the size of the deal and shaved the margins. According to bank lenders, the deal is one of many expected to enter the market by Russian borrowers seeking to obtain more attractive terms amid a drought in activity.

ING was praised for pricing a coupon of 4.875% in what was the only financial institution trade of the week in the euro market. The lender had to brave much tougher market conditions in its second attempt at this bond issue, having pulled its first attempt amid news of its chief executive jumping ship.

Credit spreads lurched wider at the beginning of the week, with investors reacting to reports of further cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus outside of China. The reaction fell short of panic, but bankers said that some issuers were moving to delay their plans for bond deals.

ING left its investors bemused on Wednesday, when it decided to pull the additional tier one (AT1) bond it was marketing on the basis of undisclosed information it had received. After the news of its chief executive’s move to UBS quickly became public, the door was left open for the bank to complete the trade.

BNP Paribas this week set a new record low for an additional tier one (AT1) coupon issued from a European bank in the dollar market, raising $1.75bn amid heady demand for the product. Iceland’s Arion Bank was also in the market, chipping in with a $100m deal ahead of beneficial domestic tax changes.