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The Philippines’ economy is suffering from inadequate foreign direct investment and an excruciatingly low credit-to-GDP ratio. The government’s decision to open up to more foreign banks could help tackle both issues. Matthew Thomas reports.

The newly elected Indonesia president offers the potential to regain economic momentum and investor confidence. But he must act quickly and decisively. Richard Morrow reports.

The DCM revenues of UBS surged this quarter, in part because of strong performance from the bank’s leveraged finance business. To the untrained eye, that might seem a direct result of the burst of high yield bond issuance in recent months. But Blog thinks otherwise.

It’s difficult enough being a loans banker these days. But worse still when a big chunk of your expected business for the year hangs on the publication of a set of rules drafted to capture a wide range of divergent political motivations in a complex, ever-changing international stand-off. And when receiving those rules depends on wading through a stream of mundane celebrity gossip on Twitter it constitutes a form of torture.

Loans bankers were looking for silver linings this week in the run up to deeper sanctions against Russia. At least the market has shut down in August, when Russians take their summer holidays. No deals would have been done anyway, so no matter. But the situation will not be over by the autumn, and August is not the listless month many market participants assume.

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has risen from its slumber in a roaring angry temper. Russia’s next recovery in the capital markets may not be as quick or as painless.

As you probably know there are a good many things that can raise my hackles — watered down whiskey, rude drivers, loud crowds at the cricket etc. But nothing quite ruffles my feathers as much as leaving a meal with a less than full stomach.

Bankers focused on Russia and the former CIS have eyes firmly fixed on the harsher EU and US sanctions slapped on Russia, which are set to shut down bond market access for some of the biggest Russian issuers such as state owned VTB. The updated sanctions follow a week in which Japan has indicated its intentions to enforce sanctions on the country, a $50bn fine was awarded in favour of Yukos’s former owners, and accusations of war crimes.

Ireland’s finance minister Michael Noonan has proposed refinancing part of Ireland's bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund, while keeping its less expensive borrowing from the European Union — a decision that contravenes the original terms of the programme. It is good news that Ireland is strong enough to even consider this option, but EU leaders should think of the precedent it sets before agreeing.

Deutsche Bank, according to recent wisdom, trades too many bonds. Or rather, it doesn’t trade nearly as many as it had planned to. Global fixed income volumes are on the floor, banks cannot hold much inventory, margins are under pressure. Clients are over-broked, prop trading is over, and you still have to pay everyone. But is the German giant ramming that back down critics' throats?

South Korea’s Cuckoo Electronics priced a blockbuster W255bn ($248m) IPO this week that saw the institutional tranche close to 600 times covered. But others looking to emulate it need to act sooner rather than later. With Samsung Group set to raise large amounts of equity later this year, they risk losing out.

Loans bankers are looking for silver linings in the imminent prospect of deeper Western sanctions against Russia. At least the market has shut down in August, when Russians take their summer holidays. No deals would have been done anyway, so no matter. But the situation will not be over by the autumn, and August is not the listless month many market participants assume.