Corp Bonds - Swiss franc

A shift in the Swiss franc-dollar basis swap has been enough to deter , foreign issuers from the Swiss bond market this week, leaving it to a Swiss biomedical market regular and a Liechtenstein-based power tool manufacturer.

Swiss franc bond spreads have failed to tighten as much as they have in the euro market, and the lack of price action meant few issuers ventured out this week. A trio of domestic deals comprised the only new supply.

German chemicals and consumer goods firm Henkel cleaned up in Swissies after a 24 year absence this week, while local company SGS ventured out further along the maturity curve.

Infrequent issuers are slowly returning to the Swiss franc market. During the past week, Eurofima brought its first Swissies deal in six years, while biotech firm Lonza printed its first bond in any currency since 2017.

Having dropped off in early March, Swiss franc issuance has bounced back in the last fortnight, buoyed by returning investors flocking to low investment-grade rated borrowers, like triple-B rated cement manufacturer LafargeHolcim, and piling into a record-breaking foreign covered bond.

Issuers and investors in the Swiss franc market are grappling with much wider spreads on domestic and foreign issuers because of the volatility around the coronavirus pandemic.

Green deals from Hypo Vorarlberg and Russian Railways were sold in Swiss francs this week in what were immensely tricky conditions. The market was awash with deals in January and February, but many feel the spread of coronavirus will bring a halt to the momentum moving into March.

Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemicals company, on Tuesday sold its first Swiss franc bond since being acquired by China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) in 2017. But other mandated deals hang in the balance as the Covid-19 coronavirus spreads across Europe.

Intense demand in the Swiss franc bond market for any asset with a positive yield — or even anything yielding more than the penal negative rates on cash — gave a varied group of issuers this week execution that pushed the boundaries — bigger, faster and tighter.

A pair of investment grade issuers made rare appearances in niche currency bond markets this week. Deutsche Telekom returned to the Swiss franc market after a 10 year absence, while Hitachi Capital UK made its debut in rand.

The Swiss franc bond market has had a roaring start to the year, which bankers suggest may be a sign Swiss investors are switching from equity to debt. This week’s standout trades came from Hyundai Capital, National Australia Bank and Chilean financial services company Tanner, while Münchener Hypothekenbank sold a first green Swiss franc bond on Thursday.

The Swiss franc primary bond market enjoyed a week of notable firsts, new records and diversity this week across the corporate, cantonal and financial institutions sectors.