UniCredit trade proves the exception; Senior unsecured still shut

Concern grows for munis; Will Chapter 9s increase?

Over 50,000 jobs on the block; Move to fixed compensation added pressure

Buffett instils confidence but at what price?; Deals positive signs for bank capital-raising

Fundraising costs at record lows; Flight to safety aids IG corporates

Governing party’s popularity hits all-time low; Budget deficit rises, corporate revenues fall

Middle-class incomes to be hit by social tax; New property tax to affect 80% of Russians

Offshore market meets convertibility rule; Global rebalancing bullish for Asian currencies

Argentina unit sold for $600 million; Focus on retail and smaller businesses

Inflation at 16-year high; Wealth gap widens

Action needed to prevent bank default; Local debt maturity mismatch to blame

Credit Suisse trims in investment banking; Africa offices relocate to Johannesburg

Cost of funding lower than domestic deals; Attractive yield pick-up for investors

Claims that BTG Pactual’s proposed link-up with Cerfin will propel the Brazilian bank into global prominence are exaggerated.

Undermining of independence of regulators will deter foreign investment.

Banks and their sovereigns are joined at the hip. It’s a toxic embrace.

It’s easy to think with what’s going on in the eurozone that the biggest financial crisis facing the world is the future of sovereign debt. But without wishing to diminish its seriousness there’s one issue that overrides its importance: food prices.

The old adage ‘sell in May and go away’ usually advises investors to return in September. But debt investors in the US might want to hang back until December this year.

The Arab World is entering a period of financial and political change. Banks must face up to the new realities.

It would be good news for Europe if a powerful and independent IMF were to take a more prominent role in its sovereign crisis.

Domestic banks dominate distribution at national level. But competition across Europe, both regionally and nationally, is heating up in the manufacturing of products for retail clients. Kim Hunter reports on the findings of a new, exclusive survey.

Before the US sovereign downgrade by sent the risk-on trade into a decline, commercial real estate had made big progress in cleaning up its act. Valuations are up, inventory is coming to market and new sources of funding are flowing. But will stalling economic growth knock the market off course? Joti Mangat reports.