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Japan and China’s “war games” over a few small islands may be out of the limelight – but they could prove dangerous

As China’s economy rebalances, emerging markets brace for the impact. For some, the change could be beneficial

Japan’s massive monetary easing effort could spill over its borders. But even if it does, it won’t replace the Fed’s money

Countries must resist calls to protect their domestic systems from financial reform

Asiamoney PLUS highlights the latest job changes from across the fixed income and financial markets.

Kommuninvest is the only sovereign, supranational or agency issuer to have attempted a dollar benchmark since the US shutdown. The trade may end up being overshadowed by the European Stability Mechanism's debut and deals from Italy and Spain, but it could soon prove to have been a very smart move indeed and deserves to be appreciated.

It would be madness for the European Banking Authority not to consider the impact of the European Central Bank’s long term refinancing operation (LTRO) in next year’s stress tests for the bloc’s lenders. But should banks really be penalised for making use of a funding tool that was designed to help them?

Banks have long been telling their corporate clients that easy, cheap financing is available in the liquidity heavy syndicated loan market. But now that borrowers have submitted to temptation and are pushing to do fee-free amend and extends, they must wish they'd kept their mouths shut.

The Indian loan market has revved up over the last few months, with deals from state-owned groups hogging all the attention. With state-owned enterprises (SOEs) known for pulling off loans with the lowest costs, Bharat Petroleum Corp’s higher margin on its latest deal offers some welcome relief — bringing hope that pricing on Indian deals is finally reflecting reality.

Top 3 Asia (ex Japan) Local Currency DCM Transactions - 2013 YTD

The country’s struggle to entice foreign capital as the rupee fell to an all time low will turn out to be a blessing for the bond market in the long run as it forces regulators to relax investment rules.