Asset allocation hangs on election result; closing the instrument is good news for private banks.

The Brazilian real has been rising in recent weeks on hopes opposition candidate Marina Silva will beat president Dilma Rousseff in a run-off election in October. With the Brazilian economy faltering and the election outcome still on a knife edge, the real’s outlook – and the country’s macro framework, more generally – remains unclear.

Deal sells at par; incentive to call after five years.

High relative rates draw investors; elections weigh on rally.

Louis Dreyfus to repurchase 90% of deal; firm commitment IPOs under question.

Short-term gains for some energy firms and industrials; longer-term energy strategy review needed.

Will make loan transfers less attractive for banks; technology a main driver of competition.

A lack of rain to fill the dams that power Brazil is becoming a potential crisis. But as experts call for action to protect dwindling reservoirs the government refuses to act, and running the hydrology risk is becoming increasingly dangerous for it.

Markets responded positively to the downgrade of Brazil by Standard & Poor’s. On March 25, the day after the announcement from the rating agency, the Ibovespa climbed and the real gained on the dollar.

Euromoney’s ninth Latin American company ranking is based on a survey of market analysts at banks and research institutes in Latin America. Respondents were asked to nominate the top-five listed companies in each of the main survey categories, bearing in mind market strength, profitability, growth potential, quality of management and earnings. Respondents were also asked to nominate the five best group treasurers, bearing in mind communication, knowledge of own business and market knowledge as well as their top-five financial exchanges in Latin America.

The data is misleading, say analysts; the region’s markets are fundamentally fine. Institutional investors are sticking around, but local companies are finding that they need a convincing story to attract international money.

The fundamental dislocation of the region’s equity markets may actually drive DCM issuance in the coming year as a much-stalled pipeline of equity deals turns to M&A in frustration – and DCM deals will be printed to finance this predicted wave.

Post-election policies still hard to predict; fiscal discipline key to investments.

Itaú strengthens position outside Brazil; equity lull a good time for hiring, says HSBC.

Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Turkey have more in common than macroeconomic numbers.

With OGX’s debt issued internationally, there was reportedly little impact from the company’s bond default and October 2013 collapse into bankruptcy on the fixed-income portfolios of Brazil’s private banking clients – fixed income being the largest asset allocation among the vast majority of Brazil’s rich.

In the past year the country’s private bank clients have been persuaded of the need to diversify into global investments – not as a panic measure in a time of crisis but as a regular aspect of their allocations.

Petrobras deal shows swap advantage over dollars; Room for more quality issuers but a limited window

The development of the cerrado into arable land will benefit Brazil far more than its oil discoveries.

Transport costs have made the country’s agriculture industry uncompetitive. But new infrastructure projects should transform the opportunities some have seen in land values.

Disappointing end-2013 performance; McKinsey analysis predicts long-term issuance growth

Capital inflow down; Brazilian investor outflow up; Increasing cooperation between Brazilian and foreign asset managers

But expected wave of bank consolidation not forthcoming; hampered in Argentina by high regulatory and political risk.

There is too much bearish sentiment towards Brazil - investors shouldn't forget the long-term trends and the fundamental strengths of the economy.