Pre-migration untagged articles

French regions may find themselves under pressure to raise funding as the central government looks to save cash by reducing transfers to regional and local authorities by €11bn between 2014 and 2017. Fortunately help is at hand in the guise of a brand new issuer: Agence France Locale, which should — by agglomerating regional funding needs — be able to offer smaller regions cheaper financing than they would be able to obtain in the open market. But there are a lot more factors than just cost to consider.

Investors’ renewed confidence in the eurozone is very much a matter of trust that the currency bloc’s leaders will never let the project fail. But with anti-European Union parties looking set to perform well in this week’s European Parliament elections, how will investors respond?

When General Electric issued a debut $500m sukuk five years ago it did not receive a great deal of acclaim. But with the company considering another potential Islamic deal later this year, neither it nor other rumoured Western first time borrowers such as Total should fear for a bad result this time around.

The build up to Íslandsbanki’s annual Thorrablot celebrations — for the uninitiated, it’s an Icelandic midwinter festival — is always fraught with nerves, anticipation and a slightly sickly feeling at the prospect of crunching down on goats’ testicles. But this year’s shindig on Thursday night has some added spice — or, more appropriately, pickle — as it could be the last event ever.

Dealers of private EMTNs: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, self-led deals and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of private EMTNs including self-led: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of structured EMTNs excluding self-led: Structured, non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, puttable FRNs and issues with a term of < 365 days

Dealers of private EMTNs: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, self-led deals and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of private EMTNs including self-led: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of structured EMTNs including self-led: Structured, non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, puttable FRNs and issues with a term of < 365 days

Dealers of private EMTNs: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, self-led deals and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of private EMTNs including self-led: Non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers and issues with a term of < 365 days Dealers of structured EMTNs excluding self-led: Structured, non-syndicated deals for <= €300m excluding financial repackaged SPVs, GSE issuers, puttable FRNs and issues with a term of < 365 days

SSA borrowers will be able to relax a bit over the Christmas holiday now that the speculation over when Federal Reserve quantitative easing will kick in has been resolved. Although tapering has come three months earlier than expected, at least now issuers can get to grips with defined issues. But dealing with a rising rates environment won’t be all they have to contend with: there’s the impact of a raft of regulation and dramatic moves in the euro/dollar basis swap to think about too.

In CEEMEA, bond market participants are looking forward to the opportunities that 2014 will bring. Finansbank is planning a senior bond of up to $500m, while bankers say that the MTN market is looking towards Russian banks as new potential issuers from the emerging markets.

As 2013 comes to an end, some banks' EMEA equity league table positions are separated by only a few million dollars. But after a year of market-share chasing block trades, bankers say that the sector has calmed and a last dash for a higher place is unlikely.

Dealogic league tables of total revenue transactions, December 5, 2013. Including Investment Banking, Debt Capital Markets, Equity Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions and Syndicated Loan revenues.