The GlobalCapital Podcast

GlobalCapital

A weekly podcast from GlobalCapital, the capital markets news service based in London and New York, discussing its most interesting stories from around the world. Every Friday, listen to lively discussion about the very latest themes, the most innovative and important bond and equity issues and syndicated loans and much more from the capital markets.This podcast is for anyone working in - or who wants to work in - the capital markets from investment bankers, to funding and treasury officials, investors, lawyers, analysts, NGOs and lobbyists, regulators and policy makers, and analysts.GlobalCapital has been the "voice of the markets" for over 35 years, covering bond, loan, equity and securitisation markets around the world. We cover everything from public sector bond issuers, financial institutions, emerging markets and investment grade corporate bonds and loans to securitisation (including CLOs and ABS), regulation and market news as well as industry gossip.GlobalCapital is written for capital markets professionals but the podcast is of value to anyone with an interest in the industry, whether you have been working in it for as long as we have, or are looking to make your first career move into it.This podcast is a commute-sized slice of everything that's most interesting from the world's capital markets with the aim of helping you sound smarter in your morning meeting, or making you stand out from the crowd of other hopefuls when kick-starting your career.And don't forget, you can #AskGC anything you like and we will select the best questions to answer on the show.Contact us at podcast@globalcapital.com

  1. 5D AGO

    SSAs and US Treasuries: crossing the final frontier

    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

    52 min
  2. MAY 15

    Starmer, strife and sterling bonds

    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

    43 min
  3. MAY 8

    Justice for covered bonds (and securitization)

    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

    38 min
  4. APR 17

    What it takes to break issuance records in volatile markets

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Dazzling feats of issuance in public sector bond market but signs of wariness persist  ◆ How banks have derisked May issuance  ◆ Corporate bond investors stick around So many bond issuance records tumbled in a busy week in the primary market that to some it felt like we were back in January. That is typically the busiest month of the year and the 2026 edition was particularly successful for issuers. But scratch beneath the surface and it was clear that issuers were having to be quite cautious about how they approached investors. This week, we discuss the tactics public sector issuers are using that are driving investors into their deals and those they are not deploying, at least just yet.  We also look at how banks have brought forward issuance, pricing some spectacular deals by doing so, to take advantage of improved investor sentiment resulting from the Iran war ceasefire. We debate what this means for the rest of the spring for banks issuing in the primary market. Finally, we looked at the European corporate bond market where issuers also took full advantage of the sentiment boost, allowing us to examine the way different companies are approaching investors and what makes for a successul new issue. Now read on: SSA orderbooks bulge like it's January but sensitivity and ‘insecurity’ remain SSA issuers that can offer clarity will thrive in uncertainty Surging demand for euro FIG credit eases pressure for clashes in May Waterfall of sticky investors cascades into euro IG corporate bond market

    43 min
  5. APR 10

    How bond issuers will take advantage of Iran ceasefire

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Gulf issuers turn to private markets  ◆ Public sector and corporate borrowers to bring forward plans  ◆ Banks re-enter covered and unsecured funding markets US vice-president JD Vance set off on Friday for Pakistan (pictured) for peace talks to end the war with Iran. The talks are part of a two-week ceasefire, announced on Tuesday, that rejuvenated the primary bond market. We spent much of this week's podcast discussing how public sector issuers, banks and investment grade companies would be altering their bond funding plans to take advantage of this positive but unpredictable opportunity to raise capital. Certainly the ceasefire boosted issuance activity, following Wednesday's rally in asset prices. Banks were more active in unsecured and covered bond funding and there is an urgency among market participants for IG companies and sovereigns, supranationals and agencies to use the time wisely to bring deals while they can. But as we discover, it is not quite as simple as showing up with open orderbooks, given the recent disruption to markets and what lies in store in the months ahead. We also discussed how the Iran war is the latest situation to arise from Donald Trump's second term as US president to showcase the euro market as a solid, reliable alternative to dollar funding as it begins to attract more issuance from Asia as well as the US. But for borrowers in the Middle East, public markets seem beyond the pale even with the ceasefire in place. We examine how several of the region's issuers have turned to private placements to fill their coffers.

    43 min
  6. APR 3

    The Gulf’s banks get ready for recession

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Middle East capital securities will need to be refinanced ◆ Supranationals, agencies and municipalities have had a good war ◆ New ideas to promote covered bonds The central group of bond issuers in the Middle East are the banks. They are well capitalised, with clean balance sheets and often high credit ratings. But none has come to the market since the war began at the end of February. With fighting raging and a recession predicted, banks’ secondary spreads have widened, especially on the large quantities of subordinated capital they have issued. That is manageable, and the banks can stay out of the market for a while. But at some point they will need to return — assuming they stick to their word and call capital bonds at the first opportunity. Where are the safe haven assets? US Treasuries and Bunds are the obvious ones, but the war has made them sell off too, as investors price in rate rises. One market that has stayed remarkably resilient is non-sovereign public sector bonds. Despite all the noise, investors and issuers have remained calm throughout March, continuing to do deals at sensible spreads — and April could be busy. Covered bonds rely on a web of regulation — not just the laws that establish them in many countries, but rules governing how much capital banks have to hold against them and how they can use them for repo funding. Several major regulatory changes are in the works at once, including on risk weightings, cross-border equivalence and blockchain. And the industry has an idea of its own — a pan-European mortgage guarantee.

    36 min

About

A weekly podcast from GlobalCapital, the capital markets news service based in London and New York, discussing its most interesting stories from around the world. Every Friday, listen to lively discussion about the very latest themes, the most innovative and important bond and equity issues and syndicated loans and much more from the capital markets.This podcast is for anyone working in - or who wants to work in - the capital markets from investment bankers, to funding and treasury officials, investors, lawyers, analysts, NGOs and lobbyists, regulators and policy makers, and analysts.GlobalCapital has been the "voice of the markets" for over 35 years, covering bond, loan, equity and securitisation markets around the world. We cover everything from public sector bond issuers, financial institutions, emerging markets and investment grade corporate bonds and loans to securitisation (including CLOs and ABS), regulation and market news as well as industry gossip.GlobalCapital is written for capital markets professionals but the podcast is of value to anyone with an interest in the industry, whether you have been working in it for as long as we have, or are looking to make your first career move into it.This podcast is a commute-sized slice of everything that's most interesting from the world's capital markets with the aim of helping you sound smarter in your morning meeting, or making you stand out from the crowd of other hopefuls when kick-starting your career.And don't forget, you can #AskGC anything you like and we will select the best questions to answer on the show.Contact us at podcast@globalcapital.com

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