Österreichische Kontrollbank (ÖKB) sold its first benchmark of the year on Tuesday, a five year dollar global. The oversubscribed deal drew healthy demand, particularly from central banks, and was priced 5bp inside of where initial price thoughts were offered on Monday. Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) was also active in dollars, selling a three year deal. Leads on both deals said that demand was stimulated by volatility in rates encouraging investors to look at shorter maturities.

Spanish three month yields rose for the first time in months at auction on Tuesday, ahead of a longer dated debt sale later in the week.

Österreichische Kontrollbank (ÖKB) sold its first benchmark of the year on Tuesday, a five year dollar global. The oversubscribed deal drew healthy demand, particularly from central banks, and was priced 5bp inside of where initial price thoughts were offered on Monday. Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) was also active in dollars, selling a three year deal. Leads on both deals said that demand was stimulated by volatility in rates encouraging investors to look at shorter maturities.

Spanish three month yields rose for the first time in months at auction on Tuesday, ahead of a longer dated debt sale later in the week.

Romania has sent a requesting for proposals to banks regarding an international bond deal. The issuer has a redemption hole in the middle of its euro curve and filling it could be the ideal choice of trade, said bankers, while demand remains high all along the curve

Italy was set to price large 30 year syndication on Wednesday afternoon, in yet another stellar result for a peripheral European name this month. The sovereign wasted no time in announcing the trade after Spain received more than €21bn of orders for a 10 year deal, resulting in a €7bn print on Tuesday.

Spanish regional credits — including super rare issuer Institut Català de Finances — took advantage of their sovereign’s plummeting yields to place a series of privately placed deals this week.

SSA Markets's sister publication, EuroWeek, gave out its awards to the SSA bond market in London on Thursday night. Read below to see who won and who was nominated on the night. SSA bankers were entertained on the evening by popular comedian Alistair McGowan, pictured below with SSA Markets deputy editor, Tessa Wilkie and FIG niche currency bond supremo, Nomura's Nick "The Niche" Dent.

Allegra Berman, previously co-head of European debt capital markets at UBS, is joining HSBC in London as global head of public sector banking, SSA Markets understands. Berman will replace Jeff Diehl who is returning to the US.

Filippo Ginanni, most recently of Deutsche Bank, has joined Crédit Agricole as an executive director in its MTNs and private placement group, SSA Markets can reveal. He started work in the London office on Tuesday morning.

Since the ECB unveiled the Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) scheme last autumn, peripheral bond yields have enjoyed a spectacular rally and the spectre of an Italian or Spanish bailout has receded. The prospect of earning decent returns from those countries’ bonds is receding at a similar rate. That the Bundesbank has raised objections to the OMT scheme should not reverse that trend.

Portugal, whose unemployment rate hit a euro ere high if 17.7% in the last quarter, hauled in €10.2bn of orders for a 10 year deal this week. Spain, whose economy can hardly be described as in robust health, is most likely about to sell a 10 year at yields closer to 4% than 5%. Where next can investors turn to now for yield? Well, Greece of course.