Deutsche Bank has worked on all three pillars of ABB’s tripartite
corporate action plan – only the second of its kind to be implemented Geraldine Lambe reports on how the market’s negative perceptions of the firm have been reversed.

When Ford Motor Company faced the possibility of a serious downgrade by
S&P’s, both the auto sector and the bond market held their breath. Geraldine Lambe reports on how Ford kept in the game.

Emerging market credit derivatives are experiencing a resurgence after
turbulent times. Current activity is led by sovereign names and
investors looking for yield pick-up, but corporate names and liability
management are in the wings. Natasha de Teran reports.

The JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta may not be the obvious place to stage
a roadshow: only weeks before, a car bomb exploded nearby, killing 14
people, injuring 150 and destroying the lobby. But that was the
location chosen by Bank Rakyat Indonesia to spread the message about
its recent IPO when 40.5% of the state-owned bank was floated on the
Jakarta Stock Exchange.

Investors calling their investment banks to place an equities’ order
should not be surprised if the call is not returned. After
Spitzer, the equities’ brokerage business is looking patently
lacklustre. The great research engines that the banks built just cannot
be kept firing on meagre broking commissions. Without the allure
of corporate finance, they are looking distinctly expensive
propositions.

FX stands up as an asset class because it is liquid and transparent, and it has trends, volatility and big user numbers. William Essex looks at the likelihood of this enduring.

Since the introduction of the euro and the accompanying demise of the
tradable currencies it replaced, sterling has become increasingly
attractive. Andy Webb looks at the long-term trends.

Managing director, co-head European credit markets, global fixed income credit markets, Citigroup
Charlie Berman tells Geraldine Lambe that Citigroup is perfectly positioned to capitalise on a European shift to a capital markets-based corporate funding.

Europe’s leveraged finance market is following in the US’s footsteps. However, inherent differences in the bank lending culture, investor base and legal landscapes mean that Europe still lacks the rational pricing of the US market. Joanna Hickey reports.

CSFB’s cancellation bond for Fifa last month proved that the capital markets are increasingly willing, and more than able, to absorb risk traditionally taken by the insurance sector. Geraldine Lambe reports on this idiosyncratic issue.