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THE REPUBLIC of Lithuania is set to be the first central and eastern European sovereign to brave the new issue markets in 2000, with the Baltic state looking to launch its third euro bond next month. This week, the Ba1/BBB-/BB+ rated issuer appointed Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank to lead a

Egypt International lead arrangers ABN Amro, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, Paribas and SG have brought in eight banks in the long running syndication of the international debt tranches for the Sidi Krir independent power project. The arrangers are waiting on a further one or two banks to come in before closing the deal.

MORGAN STANLEY Dean Witter returned to the market with its third Equant trade in the last 12 months on Monday. The Eu135.27m deal differed from the previous two sales in that secondary shares were sold by the company's employee pension fund rather than being new equity. The hard underwritten deal had no syndicate and the fund sold the shares for tax reasons, according to bankers. The block of 1.261m shares was sold at Eu107 - a 5.309% discount to the Monday closing price of Eu108.

INTERNET and technology companies from across Europe are lining up to list on Nasdaq as the market resumes its upward course after a shaky start to 2000. DLJ is preparing to launch a Eu200m to Eu250m Amsterdam and Nasdaq listing for Via Net.Works while Swiss telecom company Carrier1 is waiting in the wings.

* Deutsche Bank has appointed Vikas Nath as global head of equity marketing reporting to Michael Philipp, head of global equities, and Albert Maasland, head of marketing for global corporates and institutions. He has also been appointed to the global equity management committee. He will be based in London. Nath joins from Credit Suisse First Boston where he was the global emerging markets strategist. Previously he headed Latin American research and global emerging markets strategy for Union Bank of Switzerland. Nath also spent seven years as a management consultant, specialising in multinational organisational structure, strategy and risk.

France Vivendi has begun the sale of a Eu500m stake in SGE Groupe - the third largest construction company in the world and the largest in Europe.

* Bank of Scotland Treasury Services plc Guarantor: Bank of Scotland

* Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten Rating: Aaa/AAA/AAA

The first dedicated European project debt fund - the European Project Finance Fund - has been launched with CIT's Newcourt Capital Inc, Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP and John Hancock Financial Services Inc as the lead investors. Initial commitments in the fund total around Eu750m, with its target level of Eu1bn expected to be reached by March. The fund will provide senior and subordinated debt at fixed rates with maturities stretching to 35 years to projects within the European Union. The fund is targeted at project sponsors working in the infrastructure, power, water, environmental and transportation sectors and in the Private Finance Initiative/Public-Private Partnerships (PFI/PPP) arena.

* Bank of Montreal Rating: Aa3/AA-

Corporates returned to the euro sector this week. The positive reception to the week's two major deals suggests that investors whose appetites were last year whetted by the growth of the credit market remain hungry for single-A and triple-B names. Pearson reopened the market last Friday, with the launch of a Eu650m seven year at 82bp over the Bund. The owner of the FT was seen as the ideal candidate to test the market. "Pearson has already tapped the euro market so it is already known and it is in an industry sector where there is little paper available," said one syndicate manager.