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Spain showed the rewards of being creative with its longest ever bond of the euro era on Monday, chopping €1bn from its funding needs with a deal that will mature when the eurozone debt crisis is a matter for history books, not newspapers. With more dovish measures possibly on the horizon at this week’s European Central Bank meeting, issuers could soon find that such deals are the best way to add some duration to their debt profiles.

The last two Septembers in the equity capital markets have been marked by frenzy and excitement. This autumn, at last, should be the one the market returns to normal — and the winners will be those that adjust their strategy to match.

There was plenty of speculation about the timing on Alibaba Group’s IPO even before the e-commerce company officially announced its listing plans. The saga took another turn this week as the launch date was postponed. But with the stakes high for the whole industry, it’s better for Alibaba to take its time and get the deal right.

You do not spend just short of two decades in two of Europe’s top debt capital markets syndicate teams if you crumble under pressure.

The efforts of six or seven European banks to keep the Russian loan markets afloat, despite a worsening outlook, were rewarded this week: Gazprom Neft requested bank proposals on a new five year money loan. But normalisation is further off than ever.

The international Russian syndicated loan market is in dreadful shape, as relations between Russia and the west plumb new depths. Lending banks are trying to reorient their personnel and capital to other regions — Africa and the Middle East are natural places to turn. But while they could be promising areas of growth in the future, banks should be wary of quick fixes.

Having had more than my fair share of successes in life, I’m always one for giving back to society. But when a chum recently challenged me to dump a bucket of iced water over my head in the name of charity, I wasn’t so sure.

The ice bucket challenge has been all the rage on social media recently, but Indian GDR issuers have been taking a cold shower for quite a while longer, writes Philippe Espinasse.

The international Russian syndicated loan market is in dreadful shape, as relations between Russia and the West plumb new depths. Lending banks are trying to reorient their personnel and capital to other regions. Africa and the Middle East are natural places to turn. But while they could well be promising areas of growth for the future, banks should be wary of jumping for quick fixes.

While the rest of Asia’s markets have been taking their summer breaks, Singapore dollars have been revving up. Recent deals have shown that the market can offer a strong alternative, with bigger sizes and longer tenors than dim sum — and even the opportunity to price through the dollar curve.

A shocking email for anyone planning a work jolly to Moscow landed in the Blog inbox last week, revealing: “Russian beer weakness to continue.”

Returning from holiday is a curious experience. The length and restfulness of the time away are often proportional to the mounting dread that infuses one’s thoughts of the first day back at the desk.