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SuperDerivatives, an option pricing, trading and risk management company, has added a glossary of funky financial terms to its website.

Some bond investors have complained for years about the lack of covenant protection in the event of M&A activity. And during the past 18 months or so the increasing number of leveraged buyouts has heightened the fears of portfolio managers. Although some bond investors are once again trying hard to push for change of control (COC) covenants, many deals have priced recently without including this feature. In certain respects it is a simple matter of supply and demand. When demand for a bond is overwhelming it is relatively easy for issuers to refuse extra covenant protection. However, with the credit cycle widely forecast to turn it is clear that the buy side is becoming more circumspect.

Every market participant has had something to gain from corporate hybrid securities. Bond fund managers have delighted in high yields; issuers have enjoyed cheap equity. Ratings agencies have been paid for their trouble, investment banks have pocketed juicy fees and traders have revelled in the volatility. But what seems a perfect fit might well fall apart at the seams in an unfolding credit downturn. This will either expose the defects in the market and destroy it or validate hybrids as an asset class.

Three stalwarts of the European RMBS market have recently established medium-term note programmes, a sign of the cost savings that such shelf issuance can offer. ABN Amro issued a €3.9 billion partial synthetic transaction from its European Mortgage Securities Compartment vehicle, backed by loans to employees or former employees of the bank. And two non-conforming lenders have also established multi-issuance programmes: GMAC RFC has established RMAC Securities with an inaugural £1.2 billion ($2.1 billion) deal and Mortgages plc with its £575 million launch issue. The Mortgages plc platform is called Newgate Funding, and has been arranged by parent Merrill Lynch.

Spanish bank forms a joint venture with alternatives specialist Vega to cater for institutional investors.

Abu Dhabi Inc is on the march. While the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority buys assets on behalf of the government in the capital markets, two other investment vehicles are charged with helping make the emirate one of the most developed economies in the world through strategic direct investments. They are the International Petroleum Investment Company and Mubadala Development Company.

Excellent market conditions, M&A, special situations and heightened insurance activity drove record subordinated supply in the first quarter; more deals are in the pipeline.

US financier Carl Icahn’s audacious move on Korean tobacco and ginseng company KT&G has made great headlines and triggered apoplexy among Korea’s more xenophobic elements. Having amassed a combined stake of 6.72% with fellow investor Steel Partners, and pressed for a spin-off of KT&G’s ginseng division to return more capital to shareholders, Icahn has even mooted a takeover of the company. In March the Icahn camp finally won a board seat in a shareholder vote, the first time a foreign investor has been voted onto a Korean board against management wishes.

Raising capital adequacy requirements from N2 billion to N25 billion has freed Nigerian banks from reliance on public sector funds and better equipped them to finance bigger projects within the oil, gas and telecommunication sectors.

Abu Dhabi taps its own funds

Investors were asked to rate named analysts and teams for the categories indicated. The credit research houses themselves nominated teams. Scores were given in the ratio 5:4:3:2:1 for first, second, third, fourth and fifth place nominations respectively, then summed and divided by the total score in each category to produce a percentage. See full Credit research poll methodology