Commerzbank

BNP Paribas returned to the Swiss franc market to land a new senior non-preferred issue slightly inside its euro curve this week. In recent weeks, several foreign borrowers have tapped the market and, with tightening levels looking attractive, bankers are confident more could follow.

Glencore, the Swiss commodity trading company, got a lukewarm response from the euro bond market on Tuesday, as investors prepared their cash piles for a flurry of deals from rare and high beta names.

EnBW, the German electrical utility, and the financing arm of a Dutch truck company, DAF Paccar Financial, hit screens with highly rated euro trades on Monday. Central bank bond buying higher than forecast, pushed investors to oversubscribe the deals even though the spreads on offer were thin.

Hennes & Mauritz, the Swedish clothing retailer, earned blowout demand for its sustainability-linked debut bond, but bankers off the trade said on Thursday that the exuberance was indicative of just how far capital markets have strayed from reality.

The financial institutions bond market had its Roger Bannister moment this week, as Deutsche Kreditbank broke the zero yield barrier for the first time. Now that a German borrower has lifted the negative yield taboo, bankers expect even deeper yielding deals could follow.

Rating: A1/—

Europe’s high grade bond investors showed they are still willing to swallow ultra-thin spreads this week, when Dutch leasing company LeasePlan priced a green bond well inside fair value and Deutsche Boerse won ample demand for a thinly priced €1bn deal.

H&M, the Swedish clothing retail company, has received blowout demand for its debut bond, as the “perfect storm” of ESG criteria and European Central Bank rule changes to allow it to buy sustainability-linked bonds saw the order book bulge to almost 11 times subscribed at guidance.

Hamburger Hochbahn, the city public transport operator, made its bond market debut on Wednesday, slotting into the market neatly with a €500m 10 year green bond and a €3bn order book.

Europe’s high grade bond investors showed they are still willing to swallow ultra-thin spreads on Monday, when Dutch leasing company LeasePlan priced a green bond well inside fair value and Deutsche Boerse won ample demand for a thinly priced €1bn deal.

Hennes & Mauritz, the Swedish clothing retailer, has chosen to issue its first ever bond in the novel sustainability-linked format.

Hamburger Hochbahn, a government owned public transport operator in Hamburg, is set to make its bond market debut this week, launching itself as a regular bond issuer.