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The ECB has, despite an early gaffe, decided that it is its job to close spreads after all — and for the most part, it is excelling in its task. But its attention is focused on the bond market and, as a result, those who rely on the money markets for short term funding are suffering.

From Italian government bonds to fallen angels, nothing is junk unless the European Central Bank says so.

Kookmin Bank’s move to print a dollar bond to raise money for Covid-19 relief shows that sovereigns, government-owned banks, agencies and multilateral development banks are not the only ones that can help tackle the pandemic. Privately-owned firms also have a big role to play in global stimulus efforts.

Capital markets bankers wondering about a possible ‘summer slowdown’ in transactions should put the thought firmly out of their heads. This year, the traditional break in August is likely to be replaced by an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackle the deal backlog.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an ESG issue. More than ever before, a natural phenomenon is driving markets. Suddenly, social responsibility is no longer kooky but required of all. How are responsible investors reacting — and can the crisis lead to a better model of financial markets, where all stakeholders are considered?

In this round-up, March trading volume soars in the onshore bond market but dips in stocks, China’s industrial profits decline sharply for the first quarter, and the securities regulator says it will not tolerate fraudulent behaviour.

Welcome to the first edition of Keeping Tabs. There is a huge amount of information to take in at the best of times in the capital markets. During a crisis, it can be overwhelming. So, each week, we will bring you the very best of what we in the GlobalCapital newsroom have found most useful, interesting, informative and entertaining from around the web.

In this round-up, Shanghai-based companies are being encouraged to take advantage of the city’s Star board, China has pledged another $30m to the World Health Organization and the State Council has urged banks to boost lending to micro and small enterprises.

In this round-up, international investors dumped Rmb208.4bn ($29.4bn) of Chinese stocks in March, and state-owned enterprises recorded a huge revenue drop in the first quarter of the year.

“Who remembers places?” ran a joke on social media as lockdowns swept the globe. The idea that something so fundamental could be forgotten so quickly applies to capital markets too. There, the joke might ask who remembers credit risk. But at a time when central banks seem keen to underwrite credit of almost every variety, maybe it doesn’t matter.

Firms can spend vast amounts of time window-dressing their balance sheets to look the best they possibly can within the limits of reporting regulations. Within those limits, everything goes.

GlobalCapital's Silas Brown spoke to Mathieu Chabran, co-founder of European alternative asset manager Tikehau Capital. They discussed how the relatively new private debt market in Europe will navigate its way through the pandemic, who the winners and losers will be in the asset class, and what opportunities may emerge from the dust.