Wells Fargo Securities

A pair of socially responsible deals from public sector borrowers failed to set the market alight this week. The order books were only marginally oversubscribed and the spreads did not tighten from the initial price thoughts.

The European Investment Bank this week brought its first dollar floating rate note linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (Sofr) — the likely replacement for dollar Libor — and set two landmarks for the fledgling benchmark. But one of those, on the coupon calculation, truly sets it apart from the other Sofr FRNs to come so far. As Craig McGlashan reports, it also creates an intriguing market choice as the financial sector prepares for a world without Libor.

The African Development Bank and Nederlandse Waterschapsbank were able to sell a pair of oversubscribed no-grow $500m socially responsible deals on Tuesday, despite tougher market conditions as the end of the year approaches.

The African Development Bank mandated banks on Monday for the first green bond linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, Sofr.

No bond issuer is safe in this volatile market. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) learned that the hard way when it was forced to pull a dual-tranche floating rate deal last week. Its failure should serve as a warning sign to other borrowers.

Chinese bank ICBC was forced to cancel its dual-tranche bond on Wednesday as a result of market conditions.

The US Federal Home Loan Banks system has become the latest borrower to print bonds linked to Sofr, the planned replacement benchmark for dollar Libor.

Bank of China returned to the bond market with a multi-tranche, multi-currency bond this week, making clear that its funding needs and its role as a flag-bearer of Chinese policy overseas are inextricably linked. Morgan Davis reports.

Volkswagen printed the biggest trade in its history as high-grade corporate borrowers blitzed the dollar market in response to the results of the US mid-term elections.

Barito Pacific and Bank Rakyat Indonesia have returned to the international loan market for new fundraisings.

Bank Rakyat Indonesia has mandated 13 banks for a $700m multi-tranche borrowing, breaking a three-year absence from the loan syndications market.

The UK’s Ithaca Energy has signed $700m of loans, five months after pulling out of a high yield bond deal.