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Il gatto e' fuori dal sacco

With jumbo syndicated loans generating large fees - $600 million for Olivetti's deal alone - syndicated lending is suddenly a big revenue earner for investment banks. But how much old-fashioned lending business is there left for the market's smaller players? Jack Dyson reports.

For over a decade after 1987, when it first topped the US bond league tables, Merrill Lynch enjoyed unfettered growth, profitability and renown as the world's premier securities firm. Its mix of retail distribution, dependable income and worldwide expansion became the model for big investment banks to aspire to. Then, last year, things started to go wrong. Merrill's bond traders made huge losses, acquisitions in Japan and Canada produced sorry results, US asset managers put in a weak performance and clients defected from Mercury Asset Management. Most worrying, internet stock traders began to encroach on Merrill's retail business. For the past few months, the firm has licked its wounds, fended off merger rumours, and laid new plans. Now it's coming out fighting. Antony Currie reports.

Henry Grunfeld died on June 10, a few days after celebrating his 95th birthday with his family and close colleagues. He had maintained his regular attendance at his office at Warburg Dillon Read, and his interest in the business and activities of the firm, until the day before his death.

No bank in Poland, it seems, wants to marry the acquisition-hungry Bank Handlowy, and the Polish treasury hasn't helped as matchmaker. But the once-proud foreign trade giant desperately needs a source of retail deposits. It missed out on Bank Pekao, and the smaller Bank Zachodni. What scraps are left that the foreigners haven't eaten? Oonagh Leighton reports

Asset-backed Finance: Europe takes to securitization

He has been the prince regent of international finance, the central banker in waiting. But Rafael Buenaventura has finally taken on the mantle of Philippines central bank governor more than a year after his old school mate, President Estrada, let it be known that Buenaventura would be the man.

An M&A flood has shaped the financial markets landscape of the past 12 months and seeped into almost every category of our global awards for excellence this year. Lots of banks and investment banks are riding the tide but none more so than Morgan Stanley, our best investment bank of 1999 and best M&A adviser. More than ever, acquisitions have been financed by big loans. That has helped underscore the dominance of Chase, our best bank. Citigroup's success in many categories provides evidence that Citi and Salomon are confounding the sceptics and learning to work together.

The government's intervention to prop up the Hong Kong stock market last year was necessary, says finance minister Donald Tsang - to keep the elephants of international capital from treading on Hong Kong's small and delicate pond. Our poll finds that most of Hong Kong's financial leaders agree. Tsang speaks to Steven Irvine about who was to blame for the speculative attacks, how the state holding will be unwound and the impact of mainland Chinese equities on the island's market.

Every chief executive in Europe should heed the lessons of Telecom Italia's defeat. No company is beyond attack and the art of how to fight a hostile raider must be learned, or relearned, urgently. Olivetti's was a daring stroke, inspired by Roberto Colaninno's ambition and by a group of advisers each believing their improbable target was attainable. But its assault was as blunt and simple as a battering ram.

Alexander Nelson Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport.

Miguel Angel Rodríguez was elected president of Costa Rica on one of the most reformist platforms the country has ever seen. One year into office he talks about how to end inflation, the difficulties of pushing through privatization and how soon Costa Rica should embrace the dollar.