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JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley’s positions at the top of the UK corporate broking rankings have undoubtedly helped their equity capital markets businesses, but Goldman Sachs stands out for its disruptive approach, writes David Rothnie.

Banks may be using their lending relationships with companies to press them into granting bond mandates, the International Organisation of Securities Commissions has warned. This follows the UK Financial Conduct Authority's remarks about similar pressure for equity mandates in April.

Gabriel Grego, managing partner and chief investment officer at Quintessential Capital, is known among investors for his devastating critiques of fraudulent companies. A former paratrooper in the Israeli Defence Force, Grego is on what he sees as a moral crusade to sniff out corporate corruption. He is adamant, he tells GlobalCapital, that activist short selling is a force for good in financial markets — and society as a whole.

The European Central Bank is reportedly considering imbuing its regular Asset Purchase Programme with the powers reserved for its special Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme. From the central bank's perspective it’s a tempting move, but it could tip the eurozone into full blown yield curve control and would certainly draw the ire and no doubt legal challenges from some in Germany.

Goldman Sachs has given new titles to leaders in its credit finance, investment grade capital markets and equity capital markets businesses.

London's investment bankers are getting to grips once more with the UK government's guidance on coronavirus, after it said on Tuesday that office workers should work from home, if possible. Banks had slowly been inviting more staff back into London offices in recent months while the government had also been urging people to get back to the office.

The European Central Bank (ECB) would gain more autonomy under new proposals on how to improve bank capital rules.

The European Commission on Tuesday gave the derivatives clearing industry a lifeline by granting an 18 month equivalence decision that will allow European firms to keep using UK central counterparties.

The European Central Bank (ECB) could be considering merging the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) and its longstanding Asset Purchase Programme (APP). If it does, this would amount to the bank discarding its self-imposed limits on quantitative easing.

If the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Euronext strike a deal over Borsa Italiana, a leading player in European government bond trading will change hands. Euronext may turn to the bonds and equity markets to finance the acquisition.

Agora, the end-to-end debt capital markets platform being developed by bond market veteran Charlie Berman, has closed a second funding round with support from new investors including David E. Rutter, the founder and chief executive of R3, the company behind the Corda blockchain system on which Agora will operate.

Argentina’s recently restructured international bond curve looks further than ever from the 10% yield target that the finance minister had set. New currency controls aimed at halting the decline in international reserves have had a catastrophic impact on both corporate and sovereign bond markets, and are likely to spell major trouble in the long term, analysts say.