US election 2016

Uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential election is threatening to delay deal plans in the bank bond market, with issuers having lined up new transactions in the aftermath of a successful results season.

European high grade corporate bankers have dubbed the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's US elections the “worst of all worlds”, but are confident that the euro primary market will resume next week.

Equity markets awoke on Wednesday morning to an inconclusive US presidential election where there is no clear winner between US president Donald Trump and his challenger, former vice president Joe Biden. Equity capital markets are likely to remain shut for at least the next few days as they wait to find out who has won especially as vitriol between the candidates increases.

As Americans went the polls on Tuesday, equity investors were positioning themselves for a decisive Democrat victory and a rally in stocks. While primary markets fell silent across asset classes, the pipeline for SSA bonds will likely spring back to life whatever the result. For riskier asset classes, the immediate future for primary markets is less clear.

Oil-dependent emerging market countries have once again found themselves at the fore of capital markets discussions amid another drop in oil prices. Ahead of tomorrow’s US presidential elections and with a wave of lockdowns announced across Europe, commodity markets are coming under pressure.

Ion Analytics has postponed a $1.85bn leveraged loan financing the combination of Dealogic and Acuris, blaming "market volatility ahead of today’s US presidential election". With final commitments due on Monday, closing the issue was always going to be tight, but liquidity dried up too early for the company to clear out its costly private debt.

Bank bond spreads have moved tighter on the secondary market over the last two days, driven in part by a lack of supply and the prospect of a victory for Joe Biden in the US presidential election. But not all segments are seeing gains, as investors are still shying away from riskier paper amid uncertainty around the vote.

Bond markets in Latin America were quiet on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s US election. But the Mexican peso, and bonds issued by state-owned oil giant Pemex, could be most vulnerable to a surprise or uncertain result given they are two of the most liquid assets in EM.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden each present a different set of medium-term risk factors for emerging markets if they win next week’s US presidential elections. But the US Federal Reserve’s promise to keep rates lower for longer — combined with unprecedented monetary policy support from other developed market central banks — should provide a cushion that is more relevant to EM bonds than the Oval Office’s occupant. Mariam Meskin and Oliver West report.

The US presidential election is next week but, unlike the rest of the world, capital markets professionals are not rooting for Joe Biden or the incumbent, Donald Trump, to win. Instead, they just want a clear result that will spur issuance for the rest of the year. Sam Kerr, Mike Turner, Lewis McLellan, Mariam Meskin, Frank Jackman and Aidan Gregory report.

The UK's shock election result, in which prime minister Theresa May failed to secure a majority, has led to a slight fall in equity volatility, as the FTSE 100 rose on a weaker pound and European stocks rallied.

The corporate credit market has given an almighty shrug on Friday to the surprise UK election result that came in overnight, with primary issuance expected to resume as normal next week helped by technical factors.