Recipients of the Cabinet email magazine, a weekly bulletin from the office of the Japanese prime minister, have long been used to the publication’s conversational, pared-down and occasionally even cryptic style, which has been suspiciously consistent despite the revolving-door policy operated in the office over the past two years. Yet the message dated July 23 that began with news of heavy rain in Yamaguchi prefecture found the magazine in unusually gloomy, introspective voice.

Euromoney’s annual survey invites investors to rate the quality of bank research on Middle Eastern equity and debt bearing in mind overall performance and accuracy. View the results now:

With the edge taken off over-exuberant growth in Middle East markets, good quality research is increasingly important. Individuals in both local and international firms are respected for providing this, the vital factor being that they are on the spot.

"We are the Betty Ford clinic for financial institutions"

Bernie Madoff has 150 years’ imprisonment lined up. However, despite having his freedom taken away, Madoff is keen to influence one last decision. It is up to the Bureau of Prisons to pick out an appropriate facility for the fraudster but Madoff has hired a prison consultant, Herb Hoelter, to help him find a suitable place.

"You’re blue now, not green. Just remember that"

In May the agency announced that its new super-cautious approach would result in the shock downgrade of nearly 90% of all outstanding triple-A CMBS in the US. But the problem with talking the talk is that you need to walk the walk

It’s not quite back to the good old days for interest rate derivatives, but banks have started to make money again. Total Derivatives and Euromoney polled the market to find out who is best. Mark Ramsden spoke to the professionals.

Barclays has already this summer demonstrated the emotional detachment required to make the toughest business decisions by selling its beloved asset management arm.

Could the recent opening of Enron the play, to decent reviews, persuade some bright playwright to dramatize the financial crisis?

After the parting with Citi in 2003, Saudi Arabia’s Samba has thrived under the leadership of Eisa Al-Eisa, the recipient of Euromoney’s award for outstanding contribution to financial services in the Middle East. Sudip Roy reports.

Perhaps it’s not sufficiently dramatic for South Koreans to have the world’s craziest regime as their northern neighbour, with its twitchy nuclear finger. It seems they might need to be spooked some more – and what better bogeyman than the foreign-derived global financial crisis? Eric Ellis reports.

Attempting to restructure a complex securitization can be a Sisyphean task. Many experts are reaching the conclusion that it might be simpler to push these deals into insolvency instead. Louise Bowman investigates.

The landscape of Latin American private banking has changed over the financial crisis but the region’s wealthy population remains optimistic. Opportunities abound for those that remain in the business. Helen Avery reports.

The head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, winner of Euromoney’s lifetime achievement award in Asia, talks to Lawrence White about his career and how regulators should respond to the crisis.

For some it’s the reinvention of structured finance, for others it marks the return of the bad old days. Is the recent increase in the use of securitization as a risk-management tool shifting the log jam of credit portfolios on banks’ balance sheets? Alex Chambers finds out.

Priced to go, equity capital markets deals succeeded in the second quarter, recapitalizing banks and corporations alike to the tune of $274 billion. As risk appetite revives, the next step is IPOs. Financial sponsors won’t give them away. Peter Lee reports.

As banks boost their commodities businesses, better physical trading capacity is increasingly important. But developing physical trading capacity, and doing so in a wider range of commodities, is easier said than done. Dominic O’Neill reports.

The Mexican peso has completed a year as a CLS-eligible currency. During June 2009, the peak month to date, the average daily volume of instructions settled in Mexican pesos was 2,468 with a US dollar equivalent value of $15 billion, compared with 1,389 worth $17 billion in June 2008 – volume growth of more than 77%.

The difficulties in trying to marshal large numbers of disparate creditors will push more corporates into bankruptcy.

Chris Hansen has swapped his role as head of Deutsche’s institutional client group Europe to head the bank’s FX prime brokerage operations. Hansen will be based in London.

The rally in the financial markets does not necessarily mean there will be no more pain to come.

HSBC chief warns against return of guaranteed bonuses; He asks regulators not to impose capital controls that inhibit lending

Plan to help rid banks of toxic assets dramatically scaled down; Uncertainties remain on the likely take-up of scheme

The past two turbulent years have also redefined the adjectives that are acceptable to describe a chief executive in the financial services industry

Greenspan’s direction belatedly questioned; The flaws of too big to fail

Asset management profits drop; Diversification is no longer in vogue

EU launches consultation on derivatives; EU wants CCP for other derivatives also

Jack Jeffery has left options specialist SuperDerivatives, where he was chief operating officer. Press reports have linked him with various jobs elsewhere – including bond platform MTS – although sources close to Jeffery say he has not decided anything yet. His departure is believed to have been extremely amicable and the same sources say that SuperDerivatives has asked him to retain a seat on its board.

Investment banking chiefs are joining the increasing chorus of optimistic voices in Asia, as the enthusiastic response to Chinese cement maker BBMG’s debut share offering on July 23 preceded an expected wave of IPOs.