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UK PFI deal taps loan market for entire £2.2 billion.

Uncertainty worldwide on the next move in interest rates is leading to short-term volatility and price gyrations in the foreign exchange market.

The sideways, low-volatility markets of the past two years are gone, so how should investors review their currency management strategies? Should they consider shifting mandates from quant to discretionary? And should capital preservation take over from return maximization?

Mexico is expected to take the first crucial steps towards improving its oil sector and liberalizing aspects of state-owned Pemex’s management. An energy reform proposal was sent to the Mexican congress on April 9 by president Felipe Calderón, and will be voted on shortly. Analysts are confident that the bill will be passed and, despite one opposition party, PRD, claiming this is "back door privatization", key players of the other opposition party, the PRI, support the reform.

According to press reports, Polygon Investment Partners, an $8 billion UK hedge fund, is changing its redemption system in a bid to slow investor withdrawals. The fund, which had lost 4% by the end of March, operates a first-come, first-served redemption system that limits the amount of withdrawals at any particular time. But management reportedly claims that this has resulted in investors applying to withdraw money in a bid to be first out of the gate, simply to avoid being caught last if the fund were to get into serious trouble.

29.4 and 44,000,000,000

If you’re sick of hearing about Goldman Sachs beating the competition, look away now. Euromoney has conducted its first (somewhat unscientific) poll of investment banks’ online popularity as measured on social networking site Facebook, and the US firm has won by a clear margin. Facebook allows companies to create ‘fan’ pages: "...a unique experience where users can become more deeply connected with your business or brand. Users can express their support by adding themselves as a fan, writing on your Wall, uploading photos and joining other fans in discussion groups."

Freeing up markets would help the country lose its tag as the poor man of Latin America.

In the first few weeks of April, the Tadawul, the Middle East’s most liquid equity exchange, had returned to form and bucked the downward trend of developed global markets. But until then, 2008 seemed to be the year of recoupling with western markets, rather than decoupling, as far as the Saudi stock market was concerned.

Amid fears that it is already overly indebted, the image-conscious Dubai government has embarked on its largest bond programme ever. The local-currency bonds will be used to fund improvements to Dubai’s choked transport infrastructure, in particular through a new metro and international mega-airport.