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Weekends are when we all get a chance to let loose. Dinner parties, bleary-eyed catch-ups, long Sunday lunches with fellow old hands. But the younger generation appear to be taking a rather more sedate approach to their time off work.

The Panda bond market is having its best run of the year in terms of issuance volume and number of deals sealed. But a closer look at the market shows a distinct lack of long-term investors — a real risk at the heart of the Chinese financial system.

NRW.Bank announced on Wednesday that it will go on the road at the end of August to market its fifth green bond.

Some may question whether Greece should have waited until after the summer before bringing its second comeback bond in three years, but the issuer and the banks should be applauded for a job well done. Now the focus must turn to debt relief.

Covered bond issuers in Europe’s periphery should wake up to the fact that current spread levels are artificially tight and unsustainable. The first bank that recognises and takes advantage of this will have a distinct advantage over its competitors.

Everyone wants to dilute the leverage ratio, but in different ways. That undermines the use of it as a backstop to risk-based capital, and undermines regulatory consistency.

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are the hot new way to raise capital — $1.2bn has been raised in 57 launches this year (according to a report by Autonomous) — and the appeal for start-ups is obvious. However, with investors piling in with no regard for long-term value, it’s a bubble waiting to burst.

The Indian government has given itself another year to meet free float requirements on listed state-owned firms, despite having had since 2014 to wind down its positions. The move illustrates a lax attitude in both the public and private sectors around liquidity and public shareholding levels — an issue that must be remedied.

The US bank numbers are in, and in a reversal of usual form, it’s the universal banks on top, while Goldman is struggling to explain its poor form.

The US-China dialogue on trade had a muted ending last week, but there was good news in the bond market – domestic issuance picked up in June, and issuers continue to flock to Panda bonds.

In this round-up, net sales under the mutual recognition of funds (MRF) are approaching a combined volume of Rmb1tr, Neuberger Berman (NB) adds China equity capabilities, and Russian lender Sberbank joins the international board of the Shanghai Gold Exchange.

The vote are in and the scores have been counted. The GC BondMarker voters have delivered their verdict on two benchmarks from the week commencing July 10: a €1bn 15 year from KfW and a three year dollar note from Municipality Finance.