The GlobalCapital Podcast

Send us Fan Mail ◆ The threat of US corporate issuance to European borrowers ◆ The new funding environment for Middle East banks ◆ Reviving UK equity capital markets The plight of the red squirrel, native to the UK, is well known — pushed out by the chunkier, more vigorous grey variety imported from the US. Is there a parrallel with the European corporate bond market we wonder, given the vast amounts of US corporate bond issuance taking place this year in euros, sterling and Swiss francs? US borrowers are set to push Reverse Yankee bond issuance to record volumes this year, causing a worry that their investor-friendly pricing approach will hurt the funding costs of Europe's domestic companies, or may even start to crowd them out of the market. We discuss the dynamics in the primary bond market and what the omens are for European credits with a hefty Reverse Yankee pipeline still to come to market this year. Another group of issuers that might not be getting it all their own way in the bond market is MIddle East banks. Despite having issued little senior debt so far this year, thanks to the Iran war, the signs were when issuance resumed this week that demand was not overwhelmingly good. There is no sense that this group of issuers cannot raise capital in the bond market but the level of demand is very different to what it was. We look at why that is and what it means for the pipeline of bonds to come. We also discuss UK equity capital markets. Participants have cheered some recent structural and regulatory changes but they do not seem to have been enough so far to trigger more initial public offerings. We discuss what the government and others need to do to make the UK's public equity market as vigourous as a grey squirrel. Now read on: Gulf banks crowd into bond market to build safety buffers Reverse Yankee onslaught casts shadow over booming corporate bonds Don’t fear the Reverse Yankees (FREE TO READ) 'The elephant not in the room': timid UK equity investors

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Solving order book attrition in the corporate bond market ◆ Signs of trouble in the tech debt boom ◆ The task before the EU's two newest chief regulators The rate at which investors are dropping out of order books in Europe's corporate bond market when issuers tighten the pricing on their deals in syndication is rising. We examine why, what borrowers are doing to counter it and discuss just how important order book attrition is in the first place. Meanwhile, there are signs that investors are tiring of the vast slugs of debt being pushed their way to finance the AI revolution. In the US commercial mortgage-backed securitization market, one particular deal is having a tougher time of it. We delve into it and just why debt buyers are growing more wary of data centre-backed securitizations. Finally, we talk about the EU's two new incoming regulatory chiefs — Carlo Comporti, soon to be chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority, and Thomas Gstädtner, incoming executive director of the European Banking Authority — and the tasks that lie before them at a critical point in the development of the bloc's capital markets and banking industry. They will have to meet the challenge of helping to make the EU into a single capital market with banks big enough to compete against the biggest from the US, while bringing the bloc's fragmented system of national regulation along for the ride. Now read on: Corporate issuers battle order book attrition in European market Don’t fear attrition, watch the spread (FREE TO READ) New Esma and EBA chiefs confirmed as regulatory battles loom CMBS investors play hard to get for data center financing

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Covered bond issuers take stock as pipeline threats loom ◆ Caution creeps into FIG market ◆ What triple-A ratings for Italian ABS mean for banks, securitization and the credit rating industry The primary bond market has been characteristically busy for the last two weeks with issuers of all stripes trying to beat rivals to investors' cash ahead of what is expected to be a hectic September. For banks issuing bonds, this has meant competing on a number of fronts — in the covered bond market, the senior unsecured market and the subordinated debt market. But signs are emerging that investors are not willing to swallow any deal in any size at any price. We examine what recent new issues in each of these markets tell us about issuance for the rest of the year and what issuers are up against both in terms of competing supply and wider threats to market stability. We also uncover how some issuers' recent experiences are already influencing how other borrowers approach the market. Meanwhile, a securitization of Italian auto loans has secured a pair of triple-A credit ratings. Triple-A rated Italian credit risk feels very pre-2008 and certainly captured the attention of some of the older hands at GlobalCapital . We reveal who benefits from these ratings — both now and in the furture — and how they have come to be in the first place as we question why some rating agencies cap their ratings on ABS relative to the rating they assign the relevant sovereign whereas others do not. Now read on: Covered bond market seeks balance after frantic fortnight FIG issuance 'wide open' but investors turning more sensitive and selective Forza Itali-AAA: more top-rated Italian ABS to follow SG pace setter

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Predictions for Gulf issuance change shape again ◆ Investment grade firms to pick tricky path through autumn ◆ The Alphabet effect: hyperscalers hit Kangaroo market Middle East borrowers, especially the big sovereigns, have mostly kept away from the public bond market since the US-Iran war began at the end of February. There has been much anticipation that they will return in force in September, when primary bond markets are expected to become much busier. But will they show up? We examine the latest predictions and discuss how the market is changing for these issuers as the war rumbles on. Investment grade corporate bond issuance in Europe resumed this week after a summer lull. We pick through the deals to see what they can tell us about the weeks ahead and also examine the calendar to find that the autumn issuance window might not be a particularly clear one, especially when factoring in the US mid-term elections in November and how that might influence hyperscaler issuance. And speaking of hyperscalers, Alphabet made its Kangaroo bond debut this week. We inspect the imapct the issuer had with its blockbuster outing and what that meant for other Kangaroo issuers and the growth of the market. Now read on: Enthusiasm dims for Gulf primary market resurgence Euro corporate bond market readies for issuance burst Alphabet should build the Kangaroo market, not drain it

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Have capital markets comprehended the heatwave? ◆ Which SSA issuers need to get it done this autumn ◆ Halcyon days for MTN, M&A and ECM bankers Heatwaves and wildfires are dominating the news but the capital markets seem barely to have noticed. We discuss how the bond and securitization markets are thinking about the risks of global warming, whether they are worrying about it enough and whether anyone has figured out yet who will fund cliamte adaptation, resilience and mitigation. Meanwhile, public benchmark bond issuance is awakening from its summer slumber. We examine the sovereign, supranational and agency bond market and the deals about to come. We discover there is one group of issuers in particular with funding to do and a limited window in which to do it. We also identify two areas of invetsment banking where career prospects are on the up. We discuss the fashion for hiring experiened medium term note bankers, and their scarcity, and who in M&A and equity capital markets will likely be paying record bonuses this year. Now read on: Markets bask in bullishness as record heat scorches harvests Wildfires put securitization investors on notice of climate risk Securitization investors can’t ignore physical climate risk (FREE TO READ) SSA market braces for 'mini-January' as heavyweights line up Pre-fund, especially if you're French (FREE TO READ) MTN bankers: so hot right now Record payouts beckon in M&A and ECM even as bankers hit beach

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Europe's corporate bond market braces for US tech issuance surge ◆ Canada makes move for EU regs equivalence but to what end? ◆ Middle East private placements here to stay... but will take up less room Europe's corporate bond market is fretting over increased bond issuance from hyperscalers in the autumn. These US tech giants, when they come to the market, come big. And with their spreads having widened lately, more storied issuers in the market are worried that it will impact their funding costs too. We examine what could drive such a huge slug of issuance in the next couple of months and whether those tightly priced European companies really have anything to worry about. Canada, meanwhile, is proposing to adjust some of its regulations to make it cheaper for its banks to hold foreign covered bonds. Great news for those banks but critically, the move would also put Canada's regime on a par with the EU's — by far the biggest covered bond market. Matching EU rules is a prerequisite for the bloc to consider full regulatory equivalence. We discuss who would benefit from that, who would not, and how long it might take to have it. Finally, one of the big themes in the bond market since the outbreak of the Iran war at the end of February has been for Gulf issuers to eschew the public bond market in favour of chunky private placements to raise funding. But, as we discover, that could be about to change. We lay out the pros and cons of public versus private market issuance, why issuers might be compelled back into the public market, and whether Gulf issuers' funding toolkit has been forever changed by the experience of the last few months. Now read on: Broader corporate market resists hyperscaler pressures Industry weighs covered bond third-country equivalence Market shift expected to dampen big GCC PP activity

Send us Fan Mail ◆ The collapse of another specialist lender hits asset-backed lending but why it's different this time ◆ MDBs ramp up private funding ◆ No greenium but European banks happy to print more ESG labelled debt Barely six months after the controversial collapse of Market Financial Solutions, another UK specialist lender has tumbled. The failure of Amplifi is another blow to the banks and other institutions that fund the specialist lenders through asset-backed finance. But the devil, or perhaps in this case the angel, is in the detail. For the two situations have stark differences. We explain why the ABF industry is taking Amplifi's collapse in its stride. Meanwhile, some of the world's most prominent multilateral development bank bond issuers have increased the portion of their funding done through private placements rather than through their core public benchmark bond programmes. We examine what is driving the change. Finally, European banks are issuing more and more ESG-labelled debt. This has often been a way for issuers to save on funding costs by targeting a product with a captive investor base. However, there is little of this so-called greenium to be had. So what is behind the volumes? We reveal all. Now read on: Amplifi collapse unlikely to cause major disruption to ABF market MDB funding mix changes as callable bond bid from Asia blossoms European banks ramp up green bond sales, unfazed by lack of greenium

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Oil trumps politics ◆ Kuwait scores late winner ◆ How to save Thames Water harmlessly The three month euro/dollar basis swap was traditionally called the bully of the curve because it controlled the rest, but there is no doubt who’s the boss now — dirty old oil. As the US and Iran traded blows, Houthi threats to close the Gulf of Aden made oil traders freak out this week. Their alarm seized bond markets globally, pushing French and German yields to decade highs and Treasuries to an 18 month peak. Gilt investors should have had a week of interesting navel-gazing, wondering whether new chancellor of the exchequer John Healey is going to be their next hero or villain. Instead they were rudely shaken out of it by global events, as Gilts turned out not to be special — all govvies were selling off. A measure of stability has returned, but it’s looking like an edgy summer. Kuwait likely had that in mind when it brought a $6bn three tranche bond this week, in the last minute of extra time of the bond market’s pre-summer season. It was the first public bond issue by any of the highly rated Middle Eastern governments since the war began. Investors lapped it up, delighting bankers, who hope it will encourage other issuers. Back in the UK, Andy Burnham isn’t probably expecting a honeymoon as prime minister — he didn’t win an election. But his peace will soon be disturbed by having to make a big call on Thames Water. The UK’s largest water company, serving about a fifth of the population, is running out of money. Creditors have put a recapitalisation offer on the table, but nationalisation might be cleaner and safer. How it’s handled matters keenly to the UK’s dozen other water companies. A good outcome for Thames bondholders could reduce the perceived risk premium they have to pay, but a messy one could be slippery for their cost of capital.

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Greenium reappears in unlikely place ◆ US banks splash out ◆ Is that all I’m worth? ◆ Cantor is coming A basis point might always be the same quantity, but is it a lot or a little? It depends whom you ask, and when. For supranational, sovereign and agency bond issuers in the dollar market, 1.7bp over Treasuries and 1.9bp over are two different things. Records keep falling as SSAs price ever closer to Treasuries. Last week the International Finance Corp got to 1.7bp — and it was clearly because its $2bn green bond attracted green-mandated investors, more willing to tolerate spread norms being shaved. Could the first new issue to go through Treasuries be a green bond? Across town, the big US banks, led by Goldman Sachs, have been pumping out huge bonds after their quarterly results. The usual big dollar issues have been replaced with bigger ones — and dropping whoppers in the euro market is also common now. The banks are anything but miserly with new issue premiums, seemingly happy to pay 10bp-15bp — in fact their largesse makes life awkward for other issuers. But they’ve got their eyes on bigger prizes. In Europe’s CLO market, investors are ever so stingy. Managers active for decades, with dozens of deals behind them, can woo bondholders and present their credentials till they’re blue in the face. Will investors give them credit for their experience with tighter pricing? A penny or two if they’re lucky. Cantor, the New York broker-dealer led for over 30 years by Howard Lutnick till he took Trump’s shilling as commerce secretary, is not nickel and diming. The firm is moving into European investment banking, starting with equity capital markets, M&A and trading. That takes wedge, and Cantor is dishing out plenty, hiring teams in Hamburg, Milan, Dubai and soon Stockholm. It’s a big if, but if the bet pays off, the returns will not be measured in basis points.

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Clean-up calls set to change how banks manage senior debt ◆ The Bank of England's SSA bond booster ◆ What is behind booming corporate bond issuance in sterling A lot of expensive bank bonds, issued when rates and inflation were high and spreads wide, have call dates coming up, meaning issuers will be keen to replace them with cheaper debt at current market prices. To do so, they may completely change how they deal with investors when they do buy-backs. Many of these bonds contain what is known as a clean-up call, which allows the issuer to redeem the rest of the bonds at par once it has competed a tender offer for them, but usually only if it has managed to buy back more than a threshold amount. This puts investors into a dilemma because the price they will be offered in the tender will most likely be better than where they can sell the bonds in the secondary market and what they will get if their bonds are taken back in the clean-up call. It's a technique more commonly used in US markets, and for sub-benchmark sized or subordinated European bank bonds. But now the stakes are being raised as the market contemplates its use in replacing expensive, benchmark-sized senior bonds from issuers that rely on wholesale bond funding. We explore what is at stake for issuers and investors alike. Meanwhile, the Bank of England has started to accept a wider range of public sector bonds as collateral. This will boost the bank treasury bid for sterling SSA bonds. We discuss which new issuers it might attract to the market. Finally, corporate sterling bond issuance has been on a tear this year. We look at who has been issuing, who hasn't, and what the pipeline looks like for the rest of the year. Now read on: Senior bond buy-backs herald new era for European FIG market Sterling SSA issuers rush the queue as BoE repo change beckons new names IG corporate bond market eyes rebound in sterling issuance

Send us Fan Mail ◆ How UK's likely next PM can woo the bond market ◆ Fibre ABS coming to Europe ◆ The rise of the corporate Kangaroo Andy Burnham looks set to become the next UK prime minister, following the resignation of Keir Starmer on Monday. But how will the new man in 10 Downing Street get along with the bond market? One of his predecessors, Liz Truss, managed fixed income relations so badly, it cost her her job and made her term the shortest in the history of the office. The early signs were not promising. Burnham notoriously said the country should not be "in hock" to the bond market. Perhaps a strange choice of phrase when talking about debt instruments and he has since appeared to row back from the comments, which were intepreted as a fearlessness over borrowing and spending. So how can Burnham manage the business of government while not blowing up the Gilt market? We have some suggestions. Meanwhile, the need for digital infrastructure growth in Europe is acute. The capital markets will be vital in funding it and now it looks like a new asset class is on the way — asset-backed securities secured on fibre optic cable networks. We investigate. We also discuss the rise and rise of the Australian dollar bond market and how global corporations are turning to it increasingly as a source of capital. Now read on: Burnham needs a cause — two would please the bond market First European fibre securitization could arrive within 18 months Offshore corporate borrowers leap into Aussie dollar mart

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Iran peace deal in sight but where are the Middle East issuers? ◆ Why primary capital markets will be slow adopters of DLT ◆ Why French covered bond issuance has slowed and why it might pick up The Iran war has kept the Middle East's bond issuers largely at bay but with the path to peace now clearer, issuance conditions have improved. But even this might not be enough to tempt borrowers back to the primary bond market en masse. We discover why. We also analyse a new report on the digitalisation of wholesale finance and discuss why capital markets might be one of the last bits of finance to go digital. French issuers are among the biggest users of the covered bond market but so far this year, they are way down on the volumes they have issued compared to last year. We examine what has been going on and uncover the reasons why there could be more French deals in the coming months. And we also talk about the GlobalCapital Bond Awards 2026 held this week in London, one of our biggest events of the year, and about some of the awards we handed out on the night. Now read on: Gulf markets lap up peace memo but public issuance unlikely to come roaring back Primary capital markets could be among last to adopt DLT, report finds Core covered issuers to step forward in second half of year GlobalCapital Bond Awards 2026: winners revealed

Send us Fan Mail ◆ What now for European Secured Notes ater long-awaited debut? ◆ The mood in European securitization amid MFS fallout and reg reform ◆ Digitalisation of bond market is up to the regulators Bpifrance achieved a world first this week, pricing the inaugural European Secured Note. The deal was a success but it has taken about a decade to get the product from concept to market. The question is now where next for ESNs? This twist on a covered bond has clear applications as a capital market instrument that can help fund the real economy but it could be argued that its future lies in the hands of the regulators and how they choose to treat it. We discuss the different paths ESNs might be led down and the alternatives open to issuers. Meanwhile, GlobalCapital's European securitization team is back from Global ABS in Barcelona — that market's major gathering for the year. We find out what is giving the market cause for fear and cheer. We discuss how specialist lenders, banks and funds are adjusting to prevent or mitigate another scandal like the one that befell Market Financial Solutions earlier this year, and how the securitization market feels about the direction of regulatory reform. Sticking with the topic of all-powerful financial regulators, we also discuss why it is they rather than the technologists that will decide the fate of bond market digitialisation. Now read on: ESNs arrive: regulatory recognition may follow French first European Secured Notes needn’t rush to Brussels Funds eye ABF market share as banks pull back ABS conference delegates emit mixed feelings of trepidation and optimism On DLT, regulators could bring order — or disruption

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Credit card ABS grows as securitization sets off for Barcelona ◆ What can scupper insurance tier two spree ◆ SSAs appear unwilling to test Treasury spread record A deal from Vanquis Bank, a securitization of credit card receivables, is the latest deal in a revival of an asset class that has been morinund since the 2008 financial crisis. We examine why this market is making a comeback now and what makes it different this time. We also discuss our sister podcast, Another Fine Mezz 's plans for a live show at next week's Global ABS event in Barcelona, which is the major industry gathering for the European securitization industry, and look ahead to the conference. Insurance companies have been on a spree of tier two issuance lately. We explain why and discuss why investors might be reaching their limit and what issuers can do about it. Finally, we return to a hot topic from last week's show — whether a public sector bond issuer can price a deal at a tighter yield than US Treasuries. It appears that there is some reticence among issuers to be the first, even though doing so would be a major milestone. We examine why that is and explain why it might still happen over the summer anyway. Now read on: Vanquis fuels bank-led credit card ABS comeback Insurer tier two parade begins to test investors' limits On the banks of the Rubicon: hopes for an SSA to price through Treasuries fade Pricing an SSA through Treasuries would be a warning not a trophy

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Venezuela embarks on historic debt restructuring ◆ Canada suggests covered bond boost ◆ European Secured Notes are here. Regulate them Venezuela's debt restructuring is getting underway, nine years after the country defaulted and just months after the US removed its former president, Nicolas Maduro. The amount of debt involved is expected to be huge but no one outside of Venezuela knows quite how much. That's not the only unusual thing about the exercise. We discuss what looks likely to be the biggest sovereign debt restructuring since Greece — the unknowns, the unique complexities, where there is hope for Venezuela and its creditors and the rare involvement of the US government. Canada is considering easing up on the regulatory treatment of overseas covered bonds. We explore what this means for Canada's banks, international covered bond issuers and whether it advances the cause for the regulatory equivalence between different financial jurisdictions that could unlock growth for the asset class. Finally, the European Secured Note, a long-touted idea to use covered bond techniques to fund lending to different sorts of assets is about to make an appearance in the bond market. We discuss Bpifrance's pioneering deal, which will boast loans made to small and medium-sized companies as well as mid-cap French firms as collateral, and argue that regulators need to decide how to treat ESNs if they are to have a future as a funding tool for the EU economy. Now read on: Long road ahead as Venezuela preps jumbo debt restructuring Canadian reform may help level global covered bond playing field First ESN arrives at last — regulators should bless it

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Supranationals and agencies prepare to achieve the previously unthinkable ◆ Leveraged loans versus private credit and their effect on CLOs ◆ A new dawn for dollar covered bonds and UK equity market structure Bond issuance from supranational and agency issuers is rampant. And not only are volumes high but the bonds are flying too, attracting large order books, being priced with little if any issue premium and then performing in the secondary market. There has been a notable resurgence in dollar issuance in particular, even as issuers price within a hair's breadth of US Treasury yields. That has set the market alight with chatter once more that an issuer could be about to price a bond through what is commonly held to be the most risk-free asset on the planet. We explain the dynamics at work and identify what deal from which issuer could achieve this milestone. At the lower end of the credit spectrum, borrowers are making choices between going to the private credit market for funding or the broadly syndicated leveraged loan market. We discuss the choices borrowers face and the implications for the collateralised loan obligation market. The dollar market hosted a rarity this week: a covered bond from a European bank. As investors look for alternative highly-rated securities in the currency to Treasuries, we investigate whether we will see much more covered bond issuance and what might drive or prevent it. Finally, we looked into what trade bodies are demanding of the Financial Conduct Authority from its consultation on the structure of UK equity markets. We examine their arguments for a consolidated tape and where trading should be encouraged to take place. Now read on: SSAs glow in sunshine of demand, pushing spreads ever closer to Treasuries Credit quality diverges, with CLOs getting better names, private credit the rest Bawag’s first dollar covered bond shines light on niche market Trade bodies to FCA: leave trading alone but give us a great equities tape

Send us Fan Mail ◆ The prospects for sterling bond issuance amid UK political upheaval ◆ A new issuer and a new securitization from the SSA sector ◆ Ontario's plans for a resilience bond The mice turned on the cat in UK politics this week, causing volatility in the bond market and a headache for issuers of sterling bonds. Prime minister Keir Starmer is under fire from Labour Party colleagues and faces a challenge to his leadership following a grim set of local election results. Uncertainty over whether there will be a change of PM and what the fiscal policies of a new one will be is roiling the Gilt market. But what of other issuers in sterling? We discover there is plenty of demand for bonds at these higher yields, but whether issuers have any interest in funding at those prices is another matter. The multilateral development bank bond market is about to welcome a new entrant: the African Development Fund. We discuss what the ADF is, how much it will issue, when it will start and why it is coming to the bond market. Elsewhere in the MDB sector, the International Finance Corporation has executed a novel securitization long in the works. We analyse the deal, who bought it and what the future will be for this method by which MDBs can manage their balance sheets. Finally, Ontario this week made its pitch to host another new multilateral bank: the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. To display the province's credentials, its premier Doug Ford revealed it would issue a "resilience" bond. Resilience is becoming a huge topic in the capital markets but the deal would be the first of its kind, so we looked into its progress to market and what it will be used to fund. Now read on: Sterling market braces for volatility as Starmer drama erupts The quiet volatility of a noisy Gilt market African Development Fund could issue $4bn over three years IFC’s first synthetic securitization powers up EM trade finance Ontario targets first 'resilience' bond as it pitches to host DSR Bank

Send us Fan Mail ◆ EU regs plan sparks debate over treatment of secured borrowing ◆ Blistering corporate and FIG issuance but why are premiums rising in one market but not the other? ◆ UK Renters' Rights Act to impact UK buy-to-let RMBS market Plans to change the capital risk-weightings banks must apply to some of their securitization holidings caused consternation in the covered bond market this week. Both securitization and covered bonds are forms of debt secured on a pool of assets — often of the same type, such as mortgages. Of course there are big differences between the two asset classes as well. Fresh from the European Covered Bond Council's conference in Norway this week, we delve into the controversy and what the outcome will likely be for the way covered bonds are treated under the rules, as well as securitizations. Another two markets that are close cousins are the European financial institution and investment grade corporate bond markets. Both have been very busy lately, awash with deals. But while new issue premiums are rising in the corporate bond market, that is not the case in the FIG market. We discuss why that is and what the pipeline looks like in each for the rest of the month. Finally, we discuss another set of rules affecting securitization. The Renters' Rights Act recently came into force in England. The changes it demands to the way landlords operate will have a knock-on effect on the UK's buy-to-let residential mortgage-backed securities market. We examine what those will be. Now read on: Experts play down European snub to covered bonds Who's afraid of securitization? Fearless FIG investors gobble up latest wave of heavy issuance Corporate issuers pay up in euros as bond wave floods market Fear not the hyperscalers UK BTL RMBS to persist despite Renters' Rights Act

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Powell Fed era ends with split decision ◆ Bank capital to lead Gulf bond revival ◆ SSAs, corporates and FIG face busy May President Trump appointed Jay Powell as Federal Reserve chair — then hounded him continually to ease monetary policy and ended up launching a criminal investigation against him. What could possibly go wrong for Kevin Warsh? The central question for markets is whether he will have an independent mind or be Trump’s puppet. So far, Warsh is getting the benefit of the doubt. After 62 days without a public bond deal from the Gulf, Emirates NBD reopened the market, surprising observers by bringing a deeply subordinated additional tier one capital deal. It could be more than a one-off. A lot of banks in the region have capital securities to call and replace, and these are likely to bulk large as issuance gets back into gear. Across the public sector, financial institution and corporate bond markets, May is set to be exceptionally busy with issuance, but each sector is taking the prospect in a different way. Corporates are gung-ho, while SSAs are still gripped by the urge to avoid risk by funding as much as possible early. Financial instutions have borrowing to catch up on, but are close to a cliff edge. Spreads are ultra-tight, but nasty spectres could easily spook the market.

Send us Fan Mail ◆ Fast money reverses out of SSA bond market ◆ CLO managers face risky ramp startegy ◆ Corporate hybrid bond market runs hot despite volatility The rise of hedge funds as dedicated investors in the supranational and agency bond market was one of the biggest changes in that sector at the start of the year. But now they are pulling back from new issue syndications. We examine why market volatility resulting from the Iran war has sounded the retreat and also assess the impact their withdrawal is having on issuers' pricing power. Meanwhile, the war in Iran is one of a number of factors affecting leveraged loan pricing. It has given CLO managers a chance to make more money, if they can get their hands on enough cheap loans to ramp-up the collateral backing their deals fast enough. But, as we discover, that brings them a whole new set of risks, especially in financial markets which react, as one source put it this week "tweet by tweet". Finally, we ask why investment grade companies are having such success in the hybrid bond market. Counterintuitively, issuers are achieving debut deals and tight pricing on their riskiest form of debt just at a time when the war is making other markets far less certain. We discuss the dynamics at play.