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There is a stereotype of the staid investment banker, taking himself far too seriously, as obsessed with the numbers as he is with his perfectly-coiffed haircut. But the truth is that the industry attracts its fair share of oddballs, rogues and plain old geeks.

JP Morgan's launch of an environmentally and socially conscious version of its EMBI index is well timed, as fund managers realise that dodgy morals can lead to shabby financial statements.

Most of the S&P 500 have reported earnings for the first quarter, reporting solid to spectacular growth across sectors, but a muted price reaction suggests many buyers feel markets have already hit a peak.

BondMarker voters scored three deals last week, including the European Financial Stability Facility’s last helping of funding for the second quarter and an arbitrage style trade by KfW. Read on to see how the deals were received.

Before a dam bursts, there are telltale signs. A few drops of water might eke their way through, some ominous creaking could sound, or the once-sturdy walls might look like they’re starting to buckle. Similar indicators are showing in parts of the emerging markets loan market, with more borrowers asking for terms that until now were only seen on investment grade, developed market deals.

Euroclear’s refusal to continue settling Rusal trades when US sanctions were slapped on the company on April 6 may have saved many US bond investors from crystallising crippling losses. If the US plans further rounds of similar punishments, it should turn that happy accident into a permanent feature of the sanctions process.

Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup is on course for a second spin-off using a novel private placement-style structure, after pricing Vinhomes’ D30.7tr ($1.35bn) listing this week. The structure offers a tempting route for potential issuers in the country’s unpredictable equity market.

Green bonds have become one of the hottest topics in finance, taking their place alongside project finance and China’s Belt and Road as the necessary buzzwords on every investor’s lips. But green financing is more than just a passing fad for Japan’s strongest issuers. In a market defined by a famously rigid investor base, they are attempting to build a market that can be sustainable in every sense of the word. GlobalCapital sat down with some of Japan’s leading issuers, analysts, bankers and policy bankers to discuss where green and social financing is heading.

It might be easy to imagine that Japan’s top credits have an easy time accessing the international bond market. Compared to high yield or debut issuers, that may be so. But a strong rating and an important role in public policy bring with them certain responsibilities — not least of which is keeping funding costs down. The rise in dollar interest rates, and the volatility that is sure to result, thus represents a conundrum for these issuers. What is the right price for a dollar bond? What is the correct attitude to maturity adjustment? GlobalCapital asked these and other questions during a roundtable discussion that took place in Tokyo shortly before the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2018.

Japanese investors’ desperation to boost their yields is helping them shed an ultra-conservative image that has long defined them. The move is overdue but as more international borrowers turn to the yen markets for funding, the increasing flexibility of the buy-side is helping to usher in new structures and international standards. Rashmi Kumar reports.

Japanese issuers are tapping the international bond market in droves, pushing volumes to a record in 2017. The market is set to get a further boost this year, as more corporations enter the fray. Rashmi Kumar reports.

Welcome back to our Monday newsletter. In this round-up, Trump dream team hits Great Wall, Bond Connect flows keep growing and new Shanghai Stock Exchange chairman is appointed.