Sparebanken Vest Boligkreditt on Wednesday sold a Eu500m five year covered bond that was twice oversubscribed at the same time as achieving “ambitious” pricing, and an official at the Norwegian issuer said that recognition of the credit is increasing.
Swedbank attracted the most demand of any euro benchmark covered bond this year on Wednesday, pricing a EUR1.25bn five year issue at only a modest new issue premium (NIP), and SEB yesterday (Thursday) built upon the template to issue a EUR1.5bn five year at the same level.
SCBC launched the first euro benchmark covered bond of the year from Sweden on Tuesday, attracting EUR1.4bn of orders for a EUR1bn (SEK9.28bn) five year, and bankers said the high quality issue appealed to risk-off investors after volatility had returned to financial markets.
OP Mortgage Bank set the tone for a strong week in the covered bond market with a Eu1.25bn five year issue on Monday that attracted orders approaching Eu1.8bn at a limited new issue premium, with Stadshypotek and Danske Bank Finland following successfully in its wake.
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) built a “rock solid” order book for a Eu1bn long seven year covered bond issue on Monday, according to an official at the Swedish issuer, who said the euro market continues to offer more attractive pricing terms and volume access than its domestic market.
Swedbank launched the first Nordic senior unsecured euro benchmark since May on Tuesday, taking advantage of a quiet market to print a Eu500m five year floating rate note, but bankers predicted that euro benchmark supply would remain slim in the summer holiday season.
Sparebanken Vest Boligkreditt on Wednesday sold the first Norwegian euro benchmark covered bond of the year, a Eu500m seven year that achieved tighter pricing than some market participants had expected, and an official at the Norwegian issuer said it may become a more frequent visitor to euros.
In euros more than a week has passed without any new benchmark covered bond supply, and more than two since the last senior unsecured deal, as fears that the end of quantitative easing is nigh contributed to a sell-off across markets.
Alex Sönnerberg, Nordic DCM Origination, Crédit Agricole CIB, looks at how the rest of the year might play out for Swedish covered bond issuers in euros in light of factors such as basis swap moves and funding needs.