Canada

CPPIB Capital has begun marketing its first 10 year dollar bond in two years as it looks to become the latest public sector borrower to visit this part of the curve, despite the underwhelming demand for World Bank’s trade last week.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was quick to take advantage of a favourable swing in the sterling-dollar basis swap, to issue its debut Sonia-linked covered bond on Monday, pricing the deal flat to fair value and tighter than where it could have printed in dollars or euros. The scale of demand would have allowed for a much larger deal, suggesting good potential for follow-on supply.

Yankee banks took advantage of a strong market backdrop this week ahead of US third quarter earnings season, with Canadian banks leading the charge.

Greece has appointed a syndicate to lead a tap of the 10 year bond it issued earlier this year, in what will be its fourth public transaction of 2019. The trade will be joined in the market by a new 10 year euro benchmark from the Province of Québec.

Corporate, FIG and SSA issuers placed floating rate notes this week, pegged to Euribor, Sonia and Libor. With so many issuers coming to market, bankers are interested to see which other borrowers 'take advantage of the liquidity'.

For Canadian pension fund CDPQ, direct investments in private equity have become a crucial part of portfolio management. As the political debate around PE firms heats up globally, the Quebec pensioners are enjoying the fruits of CDPQ’s foray into the risky, demanding asset class that is off-limits for many smaller pension funds.

The risks associated with issuing at negative yields will drive non-European issuers away from the euro covered bond market, according to a report from NordLB.

Rating: Aa3/A+/AA-

Two public sector borrowers rode out the tricky conditions in the dollar market on Wednesday to find good demand for new issues. US Treasury yields recorded sharp falls that were due to a range of factors, including the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry into US president Donald Trump.

Royal Bank of Canada on Thursday became the first international bank to issue a five year Sonia linked covered bond, a trade that delivered competitive pricing and sizeable funding.

Deals set to be issued by the Province of Ontario and Development Bank of Japan on Wednesday attracted good demand, reflecting their higher yield relative to other dollar supra and agency bonds.

Kommuninvest kicked off the dollar market this week with a $1.25bn blowout, despite it being at record tight levels over Treasuries, according to a banker on the deal. Following on from Kommuninvest’s deal, a wide range of SSAs look to print across the curve, including rare issuer IDB Invest with its five year dollar bond debut.