Scotiabank

Belgium took advantage of more attractive funding conditions in dollars versus euros and strong demand at the 10 year point of the curve to sell its first dollar bond since 2017 on Tuesday. SSA supply in dollars will continue on Wednesday with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Nederlandse Waterschapsbank bringing socially responsible deals.

Belgium is set to issue its first dollar bond since 2017 as euro funders continue to take advantage of the attractive funding conditions in the currency, with three other public sector borrowers also in the market for dollars.

The Province of Ontario raised $1.75bn with a rare seven year dollar benchmark on Thursday. The transaction shared the market with a five year from Japan Finance Organisation for Municipalitities.

The Republic of Finland had to share its return to dollar market on Wednesday with a trio of three year SSA deals. Demand for dollar SSA bonds has been strong this week, and with mandates out for five and seven year deals,issuers are still looking to take advantage

Public sector borrowers found plenty of demand as they hit the market with dollar deals across the curve on Tuesday. With robust demand and a favourable basis swap for euro funders, more issuers have lined up deals in the currency to follow.

Issuers are starting to feel more comfortable with the new normal of wider spreads as a flurry of deals dusted the Swiss franc market, including a rare operating-company level visit from UBS.

Even as sovereign restructuring and debt relief top the agenda for emerging markets bond buyers, investors are showing faith in the top names in the asset class. Tuesday was Chile’s turn; the sovereign breezed its way through two currencies, notching a negative new issue premium in dollars and becoming the first non-European sovereign to issue in euros since the Covid-19 crisis began.

Empresa de Transporte de Pasajeros Metro (Metro) could become the second Chilean government-linked issuer to offer bonds in the international market in less than a week, as investors say that the corporate market is likely to remain the preserve of the best-rated issuers.

A trio of agencies hit screens with dollar deals on Tuesday. Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten and CDP Financial tapped the three year part of the curve, while the Ontario Teachers’ Finance Trust reopened a five year market that had been shuttered by coronavirus-related volatility.

Bank of Nova Scotia issued its first dollar covered bond benchmark since 2016 on Wednesday. The deal follows a series of retained Canadian dollar covered bonds that were pledged to the Bank of Canada after it recently broadened repo eligibility to include the asset class.

Bank of China took Covid-19-linked bonds offshore on Thursday with a dual currency two year transaction, which was offered through its Macau branch.

The European Stability Mechanism has requested its primary dealers or ‘market group banks’ to set up entities within the 27 member states of the European Union in order for them to participate in bond auctions by the supranational and its sister issuer, the European Financial Stability Facility.