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Busy seasons get the best of all of us. The sleep deprivation, the late nights of mixing caffeine and booze, and the camaraderie we bankers feel working to exhaustion as part of a team is something I dearly miss.

Emerging market investors are tuned into the reality TV show turned real life saga of Who Will Be The Next Fed Chair, with Janet Yellen’s replacement expected to be announced on Thursday.

China’s ability to lock in a $2bn tightly priced bond sale last week after a 13 year hiatus from the market comes as little surprise. But the price that China received, and the statements it made with the sale are worth talking about. This triumphant dollar bond return not only squeezed bond prices to new lows, but it also allowed China to prove that it does not need foreign investors — it wants them.

Some financial regulators around the world are taking a dim view of the incredible numbers of initial coin offerings that have launched over the past few months. In an effort to avoid the coming storm of securities law enforcement, some sponsors of the offerings are adopting 'compliant' strategies. But these should still expect to be tested in court.

MiFID II’s purpose is to create a transparent and fair market, but its research unbundling might do the opposite for small fund managers. The sky high fees charged by some banks create an unnecessary barrier to entry and could hurt the functioning of markets.

Barclays, under Jes Staley, has been getting its swagger back. First came a swathe of management hires from JP Morgan, then top performing MDs all over the markets business. Now there’s the balance sheet to back it up — along with questions about whether the FICC business really can pay its way.

Chinese listings in the US are continuing at a breakneck pace, with three more companies hitting the road this week. But a recent plummet in the price of freshly-listed micro-lender Qudian shows investors will need to hold their nerves.

China is weighing the possibility of making its non-RMB sovereign bond issuance more regular, Russia’s Rusal could soon sell RMB bonds in its domestic market, and Bank of Jamaica is discussing whether to hold RMB in its reserves.

Two A-share smart beta exchange traded funds (ETFs) list in Hong Kong, the central bank of Cambodia wants the country’s businesses to use renminbi to trade, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) agrees to co-operate with New Development Bank (NDB) on financing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Public sector borrowers have enjoyed enviable funding conditions this year, but thanks to the machinations of central banks, 2018 is shaping up to be even better.

The votes are in and the scores have been calculated. Two European borrowers brought benchmarks to market last week and the BondMarker voters have rendered their verdict.

After a stream of successful repricings in the leveraged loan market this week, French call centre operator Webhelp is set to refinance its term loans for the second time this year and could shave a further 25bp off its financing costs, according to sources.