The past couple of years have seen the pricing mechanism for iron ore changed for the first time in decades, and new contracts – such as iron ore futures – launched. It is now possible to assess the effectiveness of these changes.
Credit Suisse defied CoCo critics with $2bn issue
May 4, 2011Contingent capital is still the subject of furious debate. Some have called it a dangerous instrument, while others say it may not do what regulators want. Some argue that it will be difficult to create a market big enough to absorb the needs of the banking sector if it becomes a compulsory part of the capital structure. But none of this stopped Credit Suisse's $2bn issue from being a storming success.
Convertible bond fuels Talvivaara expansion
February 14, 2011A London-listed, Finland-based mining company, Talvivaara, needed additional funds to expand the size and scope of its operations. After considering all the options, a speedy convertible bond issue was seen as the way to do it.
Will investors acquire a taste for Cocos?
January 31, 2011The CoCo is a new financial instrument enabling banks to raise capital – and convert it into equity during future crises. Joanne Hart finds out its potential to be one of the most significant financial products, however, relies upon the right support and investor appetite.
The EU's first EFSM deal achieves record oversubscription
January 28, 2011The European Commission issued its first European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism deal on January 5, achieving a record oversubscription for a supranational issue.
Albania times Eurobond debut to perfection
December 23, 2010Despite its close proximity to crisis-hit Greece, Albania made its first foray into the Eurobond market last year. After agonising over when to issue the deal in such a volatile market, it would seem that the timing of the launch was just right. Writer Joanne Hart
As commodities demand moves to Asia, will banks follow?
December 13, 2010The statistics are clear: commodity demand is moving east, and fast. For the moment, the bulk of trading and price-setting is done out of New York and London, but will banks, exchanges and physical trading houses move east as well? Joanne Hart reports
Investec takes first-mover advantage
December 8, 2010Investec's brave move to launch a sterling bond transaction backed by subprime mortgages, a market that had been closed since 2007, appears to have paid off. Writer Joanne Hart
Temporary blip or long-term shift?
December 8, 2010The third quarter of 2010 was a dismal time for banks' trading businesses. Virtually all of them saw precipitous falls from the third quarter of 2009. While most believed this year would not be as good as the last, does this slump suggest a more long-term decline for one of investment banks' stellar business lines? Writer Joanne Hart
National treasure
December 8, 2010Sovereign debt is no longer the easily defined sector that it used to be. As investors run scared of many developed governments' debt and turn instead to the 'true' sovereigns of emerging markets, uncertainty and volatility reign in an area that was once so simple. Joanne Hart reports.