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International and domestic investors flocked to the Indian government’s Rp15.6bn ($250m) sale of a 5% stake in Rural Electrification Corp on April 8, with the success auguring well for this fiscal’s year divestment programme.

Shinhan Bank’s red hot $600m five year bond this week impressed the market with its top notch pricing and timing. The $4bn order book was certainly eye catching, but observers were also won over by how the deal was able to shock a subdued Korean DCM market back into life.

Market volatility and investor uncertainty meant the Asian dollar bond market was heavily skewed towards investment grade deals in the first quarter of 2015. But the next three months could look very different. Many bankers are counting on a recovering Chinese property sector and a surge in bank capital trades to revive the high yield market, writes Narae Kim.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is considering tweaking rules imposed on secondary sales of stock via the offer for sale (OFS) mechanism — a way by which owners of listed companies can reduce their holdings.

Commodities trader Gunvor Singapore has mandated six banks to lead its latest $550m financing, which is split into a one year and a three year. The roadshow schedule for the transaction shows the leads are hoping to secure Middle Eastern liquidity for the oil trader.

Spain crunched its long term borrowing costs on Thursday at its first 30 year auction since the European Central Bank launched its public sector purchase programme.

Two sets of long public holidays made it a stop-start first quarter for activity in Asia ex-Japan's equity capital markets. But with the festivities out of the way, bankers are now seeing their pipelines fill up again. The spotlight will be firmly on China and India for the next few months, writes John Loh.

Singapore dollar bonds have been slow off the mark this year. And although bankers are expecting a pick-up in issuance activity, year-end volumes are seen as unlikely to reach those seen in 2014.

Mexico made yet more capital markets history on Wednesday with the first ever euro denominated century bond for a sovereign issuer. But though some bankers claimed the deal came very cheap to comps, it came at a very low absolute cost for the maturity.

Colombia’s head of public credit and national treasury Michel Janna Gandur has resigned from his position to become vice president of finance at Ecopetrol’s transport and logistics subsidiary Cenit.

The Standard Chartered Renminbi Globalisation Index (RGI) climbed only 0.14% in February, to 2,133, its smallest monthly gain in 28 months.

Indomobil Finance Indonesia is set to return to the market for a $100m three year facility. The company has picked three mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners, who plan to launch it into general sometime next week.