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The main point of a government issuing green bonds is to communicate a message — just like with other special bond formats. But are these messages reaching the right audience?

Loans desks are going to fall woefully short of budget expectations this year, in part because management puts so much faith in M&A bolstering volumes. This is folly.

KfW’s €5bn November 2023 was the standout performer in a week of trades — from Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank and Swedish Export Credit Corp — that BondMarker voters rated highly.

In this round up, American Express (Amex) becomes the first global credit card firm to receive an onshore RMB settlement licence, Chinese traders using the new London-Shanghai Stock Connect are not required to open new accounts, and the Singapore Exchange (SGX) sees a 91% annual growth in its China stock index futures.

State officials provide strong verbal commitment to private sector development, the China Securities Regulatory Commission promises more stringent stock trading suspension rules, and China’s State Council says it will enhance the domestic business environment for domestic and foreign companies.

In this round-up, China’s foreign reserves in October decrease $34bn due to the stronger dollar, monthly exports climbed more than expected, Singapore Exchange signed cooperation agreements to develop more opportunities for Chinese enterprises in Singapore.

J Paul Getty once said that if you owe the bank $100, that’s your problem. But if you owe the bank $100m, that’s the bank’s problem. Italy’s battle with Europe and the response from the European Central Bank (ECB) suggest the same is true of eurozone membership.

Russian capital markets have had a rough time this year, but the prospect of relief from sanctions diminished this week after the Democrats regained control of the US House of Representatives.

I’ll admit I often took pleasure in firing an underling back in my day, feeling a perverse sense of satisfaction in asserting my authority and punishing wrongdoers.

Inline warrants are growing in popularity as a means of generating returns when volatility is low.

Prudential regulators around the world have mostly confined themselves to pieties when it comes to cryptocurrencies, warning of the need to monitor markets, avoid stifling innovation, but making few concrete moves.

The Province of Alberta pipped the European Investment Bank to the top score of the week in BondMarker, with both issuers printing five year dollar globals.