Greater China

In this weekly round-up, the US Federal Reserve interest rate hike is pushing the RMB even lower against the dollar, a fresh batch of free trade zones could be approved for an early 2017 launch, and Tunisia’s central bank is looking at a Panda bond deal. Plus, a recap of our coverage.

It’s that time of year when analysts dust off their crystal balls and make predictions for the next 12 months. In December 2015 not many were forecasting that Britain would vote to leave the EU, and even fewer were betting on a Donald Trump presidential victory, so investors would be wise to treat such missives with caution. Political risk is a capricious beast, even for the most seasoned market observers.

Next year’s Asian loan market could see a shift in dynamics as lenders juggle rate hikes and abundant liquidity. Borrowers could also turn away from bonds in favour of syndicated lending, setting the stage for a year of growth, writes Shruti Chaturvedi.

The many Chinese issuers seeking offshore funding will need to negotiate a delicate dance in the new year. Volatility has rocked markets in the last 12 months, meaning issuers will have to stay nimble if they want to garner investor attention. Morgan Davis and Addison Gong report.

Shandong Ruyi Technology Group grabbed the market’s attention with its debut international bond on Tuesday, reeling in investors searching for an alternative to notes from local government financing vehicles.

Natixis has named a new global markets head for Asia Pacific, while Standard Chartered has recruited an outsider to run financial markets.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp has taken plans to list Sinopec Marketing Co out of cold storage, this time with a much bigger fundraising target of $10bn.

An extensive marketing effort helped debut issuer LR Capital Group seal a $150m deal on Tuesday, as books opened with sufficient anchor orders.

Meitu, creator of the popular Chinese selfie editing app, failed to live up to its promise when the stock debuted on Thursday in Hong Kong, shedding as much as 2%.

When I was younger, I had many aspirations to establish myself as a worldly gentleman. By retirement, I thought I had accomplished them all. But a recent night out showed me I’m not quite there yet.

UBS is set to lose its co-head of ECM solutions for Asia at the end of the year, sources told GlobalCapital Asia this week. His departure comes two months after the bank said Hong Kong's regulator was investigating it for its role in IPOs, though the two events are thought to be unrelated.

Local government financing vehicle (LGFV) Xuzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone State Asset Management Co and property developer China Vanke Co announced their respective dollar-denominated bonds on Thursday, following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to lift interest rates.