April is the cruellest month, wrote TS Eliot. Chinese investors may beg to differ. They found May pretty cruel. In the past month the Beijing authorities have declared war on China's two principal stock markets, rattled by alleged speculation. This had carried the Shanghai domestic share index to gains of 55% since January, and pushed Shenzhen up 75%. By the time Beijing decided to act the two markets were on P/E ratios of nearly 50 times historical earnings. But at first Beijing's usually subtle hints had no impact on a market convinced of its own immortality.

Private investigator Kroll Associates has worked hard to restore its reputation following allegations in the early 1990s that its subcontractors employed unsavoury tactics to uncover company information. It has also adapted well to changing business patterns. Now, though, it faces competition from big accounting firms. Public ownership may be the answer, but could its absorption into US insurance information services company Equifax dull its investigative edge or turn it into big brother? Michelle Celarier reports.

The job of borrowers today is to do much more than merely borrow. As well as raising new debt, they must think strategically: taking care of whole portfolios of existing liabilities; managing these liabilities against assets; managing duration and currency gaps between assets and liabilities to beat their benchmarks. Only then can they plan their moves in secondary markets or through new issues. It's a complicated and demanding game.

New president Junichi Ujiie says he wants to introduce radical change to clean up and modernize Nomura Securities. If he succeeds, the Japanese house could pick itself up from its recent scandal and bounce back to become a global financial power-house. But first Ujiie must halt the bloody factional infighting that marred the term of his predecessor, Hideo Sakamaki, and wipe out the pernicious influence of two former presidents, the Tabuchis. Garry Evans reports.

Portugal's banking sector has consolidated rapidly since reprivatization but assets of $250 billion are still divided among more than 40 players. Emu and foreign competition demand even more mergers or alliances. The three big controlling families already have informal connections that could form the basis for closer ties.

The European Investment Bank, Euromoney's borrower of the year, is snapping at the World Bank's heels with careful timing and improved investor relations. Russia, best debut borrower, excited the market with its $1 billion and Dm2 billion opening salvos. While the experienced team in Buenos Aires makes Argentina our top emerging market borrower a few lines.

Who remembers the "Abbey habit"? The slogan which brought savers flocking to deposit money may still be there but, as with the Prudential's "man from the Pru", times and tastes have changed. Today Abbey National is a full-service bank with total assets of £124 billion ($202 billion). Last year Abbey reported pre-tax profits of £1.17 billion. In terms of assets it is the fifth-largest bank in the UK with a market capitalization of £13.2 billion.

Israel is awash with companies - many in the high-tech sector - eager to make equity and debt issues. Not surprisingly, foreign banks are beginning to establish local bases. The snag for the local capital market is that much of the listing is being done abroad, particularly on Nasdaq. Nick Kochan reports on efforts to bring some of it home.

"The emergence of the German public-sector borrowers has probably been the most important single feature of the international primary debt capital markets during the 1990s," says the head of syndication at one of the bulge-bracket US investment banks. Few people would argue with that.

Issuer: Svensk Exportkredit

Deal: Block trade in BP stock

Five years of debate do not seem to have taken the Asiaclear concept very far. Now there are fresh moves to set up an Asian-wide settlement system. But, reports Steve Irvine, perhaps Euroclear is already too far ahead even in Asia.

HSBC Holdings has held on to the top spot in this year's rankings, while mergers have propelled Credit Agricole and Wells Fargo up the table. Elsewhere, Japanese banks have fallen while American banks have made a steady climb.