Ziggo to sell $696 million bond; iTraxx indices firm

Dutch cable company Ziggo will be a major focus on Thursday with plans to sell a 500 million euro ($696 million) bond, marking its second foray into the high-yield bond market this year. By 0659 GMT, the investment-grade Markit iTraxx Europe index was steady at 101 basis points, according to data from Markit.
The Markit iTraxx Crossover index, made up of 50 mostly "junk"-rated credits, was at 469.5 basis points. That is 0.5 basis points tighter versus late on Wednesday, according to data from BGC Partners.