Investor Demand in Syndicated Bond Issuances : Stylised Facts

This study analyses investor demand in syndicated EFSF and ESM bond issuances from 2014 to 2020 on an unprecedented granularity level of individual orders. In particular, we investigate three main aspects of order book dynamics: first, we determine the main factors segmenting investor demand. Second, we analyse price dynamics in the transactions and its relation to investor demand. Third, we examine whether there are any indications of order book inflation that might explain the increased volatility in order book volume. We identify issuance tranche and tenor as the main determinants of investor demand, which are to a large extent anticipated by the envisaged notional amount of the issuance. Further, we note that the pricing of ESM bond issuances is carried out in an economical manner, i.e. the new issue premium tends to be lower in a market context with large demand. Lastly, we look at the drivers of large order books and find a mixture of above average number and volume of orders. This confirms that there are no indications of order book inflation tendencies in the analysed time period