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Chemical sector's growing uncompetitiveness a problem when it comes to attracting investment in the capital markets
When staff complain, they deserve a fair hearing, not a wall of silence
Benin reaped the rewards of its sukuk debut last week, and will do so for years to come
Little green men could be closer than they appear
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The suggestion by Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Dutch finance minister and head of the Eurogroup, that senior bail-in could become the norm in bank bail-outs has spooked the markets. The subsequent retraction was an attempt to reflect the politically acceptable view that the Cyprus situation is a one-off. But in fact he had articulated perfectly how bank bondholders should view their investments. Bail-in needs to be priced in before denial once again takes hold.
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Not many corporates could pull off a jumbo LBO in the US market in the way that ketchup maker Heinz managed. But more and more European borrowers are shifting at least part of their financing across the Atlantic, where they can access cheaper funding with no covenants attached. If investors in Europe want to compete, they need to end their resistance to cov-lite deals.
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Taiwanese banks are under fire for their poor profit margins, with frenzied competition in the market their biggest problem. Banking consolidation might seem the obvious way out, but this doesn’t look likely. In any case, it would not cure all the sector’s ills.
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Saudi Electricity Company’s issuance of the world’s first ever 30 year international sukuk is a legitimate cause for excitement. It has given Islamic market borrowers a glimpse of the open vistas of a new landscape. But they can’t expect to jump straight in. This deal follows an immense effort — and comes from a name with unique attractions.
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The botched bank job in Cyprus has clearly thrown a spanner in the works for Asian bond bankers, but they have shown before that they can work around problems from Europe. The biggest hurdles are not fundamental, they are technical. The sheer scale of supply building up now means bankers are in for a rocky ride over the next few months.
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Cyprus’s need for a bail-out has been known for months. A week ago, no one in financial markets was worrying about it. Suddenly, the precipice metaphors are getting wheeled out again. The botched series of attempts to spread the pain to Cypriot depositors are perhaps the clumsiest own goal of the crisis so far. But what did the planners get wrong — and did they get anything right?