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UK chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement that large UK companies, whether listed or private, would need to make climate-related disclosures, was a step towards an important principle — that corporate transparency is a public good, and should be driven by governments, not listing authorities.

The Bank of Japan has said that it will pay extra on reserves deposited by banks that become more cost efficient or that merge. A similar policy could well be introduced in Europe too, although perhaps with different aims.

Yves Mersch, one of the ECB governing council’s staunchest hawks, has a new argument for why the central bank must abridge its purchase programmes: by keeping down the borrowing costs of the eurozone periphery, the ECB is helping countries to “circumvent EU loans”, which he thinks should not be allowed to happen.

Ant Group’s IPO suspension was a big blow to many: the fintech firm itself, the banks that worked on the huge transaction, and the investors that were salivating to get a piece of the stock. It was also a big setback for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's reputation as an independent and attractive listing destination.

Weather prophets in Europe’s capital markets can feel a chill coming — banks’ loan books may wither on the vine. A few people — and firms — will be in their element.

In this round-up, China’s financial system gives up Rmb1.25tr ($190bn) in profits to support the real economy, the central bank releases its annual financial stability report, and the country’s foreign exchange reserves by the end of October miss forecast.

Many have heard of Frost/Nixon, a great play — and later a film — based on the real interviews David Frost did with US president Richard Nixon after his impeachment and resignation. But here's a 1987 BBC interview by David Frost with Joe Biden, before his first tilt at the presidency.

In this round up, China plans to expand its digital economy, local governments issue over Rmb6tr ($906bn) of bonds by October, and the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors announces a trial programme for cash tender offers for corporate bonds in the interbank market.

Just because it seems unlikely that in the US election the Democrats will take both the White House and the Senate, it does not mean that capital markets should become despondent about a fiscal stimulus package that could have reached $2.3tr had the so-called "blue wave" made a clean sweep.

Few readers of this column will have been able to avoid the temptation this week to continually hit refresh, hoping for a morsel of news on the US election. Whether you’re red, blue or polka-dot, the zig and zag of the election results has been compelling theatre.

Carlos ‘Sonny’ Dominguez, finance minister of the Philippines, has been forced to swap long-term planning for emergency responses to the coronavirus. He talks to GlobalCapital about what comes next.

China’s decision to clamp down on Ant Group has derailed an IPO of at least $34bn, despite execution being finished last week. The move appears to be little more than political muscle-flexing by Beijing. The real winners will be the country’s critics.