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THE PACE of Spanish privatisation is set to pick up again following the disclosure this week that the government intends to complete its $2bn sale of shares in tobacco producer Tabacalera by early May. At the end of last week a group of four global co-ordinators -- Merrill Lynch, Argentaria, BBV and BCH -- was mandated to run the deal, which will involve the disposal of the state's entire 52% stake.

JAPAN'S SONY Corp scored a stunning success this week with its first global bond issue, which overcame lacklustre demand for Asian credits so far this year when it finished several times oversubscribed.

THE MARKET for Latin corporate Eurobonds returned to life this week, after a four month lull, when Argentine conglomerate Sociedad Comercial del Plata placed $40m worth of two year securities in Europe. Led by Paribas, the deal was the first plain vanilla Eurobond from a Latin corporate since last October's market downturn. Although a handful of Latin banks have raised dollars in Europe and a couple of Mexican firms have accessed the US high yield market, until now corporates have been unwilling to pay up to come to Europe.

JAPAN'S SONY Corp scored a stunning success this week with its first global bond issue, which overcame lacklustre demand for Asian credits so far this year when it finished several times oversubscribed. At $1.5bn, the five year deal, lead managed by Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan, is the largest fixed rate global bond from a corporate issuer. It equals British Telecom's $1.5bn five year deal launched last year as the largest ever international corporate bond.

* World Bank Rating: Aaa/AAA

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* Coca-Cola Enterprises Great Britain plc Guarantor: Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc

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* Energieversorgung Niederösterreich AG (EVN) Rating: Aa3/AA+

THE EUROMARKET finally paused for breath this week at the end of the most hectic first two months of the year on record. But the pause will be short lived, with a number of top quality borrowers lining up jumbo financings. The EIB, Fannie Mae, the World Bank and the German Länder all have superliquid deals in the pipeline -- and they could all potentially come to the market next week.

THE roadshow for the next offering of shares in Hungarian oil company Mol will begin on March 6 in Budapest. Presentations will continue on March 9 and 10 in continental Europe followed by three days in London. The roadshow will move the following week to the US before the book is closed on March 19, with pricing and allocations on March 20. Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Creditanstalt are lead managing the deal.

SBC Warburg is arranging a £500m credit facility that will part finance the merger of HMV's record stores with Dillons bookshops and Waterstone's. Merrill Lynch is also arranging a high yield bond issue totalling between £100m and £150m. Syndication of the £480m of debt facilities which are financing the demerger of the Burton Group has closed with considerable success.