Australian dollar

Demand for BPCE's latest Kangaroo note was skewed towards the preferred senior format this week, with non-preferred paper only making up A$125m ($96.0m) of the A$750m deal. The French firm was also joined in the market by Rabobank, which sold its first Aussie deal after an almost two year absence.

BPCE and Rabobank are in the market for Aussie dollar senior paper, with bankers expecting a busy April as a slew of financial issuers refinance maturing bonds.

A trio of SSAs brought SRI themed Kangaroo bonds to market this week, enjoying a recent bout of tranquillity following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s intervention.

Verizon Communications, the US telecoms group, embarked on an almost $3bn niche currency bond issuing spree this week, which included the largest foreign Swiss franc bond since early 2018.

The sell-off in government bond markets around the world has taken a steep toll on the Australian market too, effectively wiping out the last few weeks of issuance before Japan — a key investor base for the currency — downs tools ahead of fiscal year end.

Svenska Handelsbanken returned to the Kangaroo market this week to print a five year preferred senior deal at a decade tight level, as the long-term absence of funding from the Aussie market's major domestic banks drives down senior spreads.

Handelsbanken is set to return to the Australian dollar market for the first time in nearly two years this week, as Aussie dollar senior paper rallies thanks to the long term absence of funding from the market's major domestic banks.

BNP Paribas and UBS opened the offshore Australian dollar FIG market for 2021 this week, with a pair of new senior deals.

The Asian Development Bank has sold its first ever education bond. The proceeds will go towards financing technical and vocational training for educators in the Asia Pacific region.

The Province of Alberta made a rare appearance in the Kangaroo market on Wednesday, printing A$100m with a February 2046 bond. Daiwa Capital Markets ran the books.

The European Investment Bank made a blazing start on Monday in tackling its 2021 borrowing programme, hitting the Australian dollar and sterling markets on Monday, and lining up a dollar deal for Tuesday.

Macquarie achieved a decade low print for a five year Australian dollar floater this week, as the lack of supply from financial issuers in 2020 has sent spreads grinding downwards.