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It was the largest IPO in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE)'s history; the biggest slap in the face for Renong chairman Halim Saad; the most embarrassing episode for Commerce International Merchant Bankers (CIMB). The superlatives abound in the case of the IPO of TimedotCom, Time Engineering's telecoms arm, which in February issued 175 million shares at RM3.30 (US$0.86) each, and offered for sale 397 million shares owned by the parent. Designed to raise RM1.89 billion (US$497.4 million), the IPO was only 25% subscribed. Renong-controlled CIMB was the advisor, managing underwriter and joint lead underwriter. Not a happy moment for CEO Nazir Razak? Well, though CIMB's shares did fall, the paper is thought widely dispersed among the other underwriters, including all major local names. "The outcome was widely expected," says a local analyst. "The talk is that most of this paper has already been taken up by government-linked institutions. All this will emerge over the next few weeks."

Australia's economic outlook is heavily dependent on the state of the US economy. That's a tough problem for a country that has already faced a year of distortions to its economic data. By Chris Wright.

The Singapore Ritz-Carlton Millenia, the Banyan Tree resort in Phuket and Singapore Airlines are among the winners in our ninth annual business travel poll. But our respondents are a discerning and demanding bunch – and Asia's favourite hotels and airlines will have to work hard to stay at the top of the list. By Olivia Chow and Robert Law.

For those with the nerve, Hong Kong has provided superior returns on equity investment over the past years. But China plays, with their increased weighting in the index, are re-writing the equation. By Pauline Loong, Joy Lee and Robert Law.

For those with the nerve, Hong Kong has provided superior returns on equity investment over the past years. But China plays, with their increased weighting in the index, are re-writing the equation. By Pauline Loong, Joy Lee and Robert Law.

The jumbo transactions involving PCCW and China Mobile made last year unique for Asian M&A. Deals like that don't come along very often. But even if they don't this year, that should not mean a disappointing 2001 for the region – all the trends point towards continued consolidation. By Chris Wright.

Last year, the Australian stock market stood firm – no longer are the country's leading indices vulnerable to the vicissitudes of global commodity prices. Australia is now a broad-based services economy and the market is host to a diverse range of innovative, well-managed companies with a deserved reputation for their focus on shareholder value. Mark B Johnson reports.

Ian Macfarlane is not given to alarmist statements, and despite concerns about the US economy he continues to forecast healthy growth. The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia explains policy to Chris Wright.

Thanks to US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, the Latin debt capital markets have had a strong year so far, with more than $10.5bn of issuance compared with $9.6bn for the same period in 2000 - despite the clouds gathering over Argentina. Danielle Robinson reports.

Finova Group is the name of the day as the $6 billion bailout proposal by Leucadia National Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway has sparked a flurry of trades and pushed prices up to the mid-80s. Things could get even more interesting as one trader said he is not ready to count out the bid for control by General Electric Capital Corp. and Goldman Sachs. In other distressed trading news, A $10 million piece of Warnaco traded at 43.

BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse First Boston, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney reportedly riled up the euro swaps market last week as they prepared for a USD7-8 billion France Telecom bond issue they are lead managing. Some USD3 billion (notional) traded in the euro swaps market last week as the lead managers positioned themselves for France Telecom potentially wishing to hedge and proprietary traders attempted to front run the positions, according to a trader.