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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published July 20, 2010
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Temasek selling sterling bonds
SINGAPORE investment company Temasek Holdings will soon sell sterling-denominated bonds for the first time to diversify its funding sources.
Temasek has hired UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and RBS to sell the bonds, according to a note sent to fund managers yesterday by one of the investment banks.
Temasek plans a benchmark issue, industry jargon for an issue equivalent to at least US$500 million.
'The issue is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions,' the bank said in the note seen by Reuters.
Sources said that the fund-raising was not linked to any fresh investments in the United Kingdom.
The sources could not be identified because the deal is not public.
Temasek, which manages a portfolio worth $186 billion at end-March, has distanced itself from speculation that it could invest in BP Plc, which has approached several sovereign wealth funds for cash to ward off a takeover and help pay for the worst oil spill in US history.
Its biggest investment in the United Kingdom is Asia-focused Standard Chartered in which it has a stake of about 18 per cent.
'They see sterling as an additional pool of capital for them,' said the sources. 'They want to create a yield curve in different currencies.'
Temasek has sold bonds worth US$6 billion under its existing US$10 billion medium-term note programme, mostly in Singapore or US dollar, according to its annual report released earlier this month.
Its bonds have a weighted average maturity of 13 years and are rated AAA by both Moody's and Standard & Poor's.
Analysts said that Temasek was taking advantage of the low interest rates to raise long-term funds at attractive levels.
'There is demand but with AAA (-rated paper) being so low on the yield, it doesn't come on as so attractive, so we are advising clients to go down the risk spectrum but cherry-pick the better ones,' said Joseph Tan, Asian chief economist for private banking at Credit Suisse. -- Reuters
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Temasek selling sterling bonds
SINGAPORE investment company Temasek Holdings will soon sell sterling-denominated bonds for the first time to diversify its funding sources.
Temasek has hired UBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and RBS to sell the bonds, according to a note sent to fund managers yesterday by one of the investment banks.
Temasek plans a benchmark issue, industry jargon for an issue equivalent to at least US$500 million.
'The issue is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions,' the bank said in the note seen by Reuters.
Sources said that the fund-raising was not linked to any fresh investments in the United Kingdom.
The sources could not be identified because the deal is not public.
Temasek, which manages a portfolio worth $186 billion at end-March, has distanced itself from speculation that it could invest in BP Plc, which has approached several sovereign wealth funds for cash to ward off a takeover and help pay for the worst oil spill in US history.
Its biggest investment in the United Kingdom is Asia-focused Standard Chartered in which it has a stake of about 18 per cent.
'They see sterling as an additional pool of capital for them,' said the sources. 'They want to create a yield curve in different currencies.'
Temasek has sold bonds worth US$6 billion under its existing US$10 billion medium-term note programme, mostly in Singapore or US dollar, according to its annual report released earlier this month.
Its bonds have a weighted average maturity of 13 years and are rated AAA by both Moody's and Standard & Poor's.
Analysts said that Temasek was taking advantage of the low interest rates to raise long-term funds at attractive levels.
'There is demand but with AAA (-rated paper) being so low on the yield, it doesn't come on as so attractive, so we are advising clients to go down the risk spectrum but cherry-pick the better ones,' said Joseph Tan, Asian chief economist for private banking at Credit Suisse. -- Reuters
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