A boom in non-oil wealth looks set to accompany the continuing oil boom as huge projects get under way and economic reform continues, writes Stephen Timewell.

Despite the subprime crisis affecting many areas of Brazil’s capital markets, commodity prices continue to boom, foreign investment remains strong and an investment grade rating is imminent, says Brian Caplen.

Behind the alarming headlines about bank bail-outs in the state sector, leading players in Germany’s capital markets are quietly making headway, reports Philip Alexander.

Despite its write-downs last year and Allianz splitting Dresdner Kleinwort off from rest of the group, Dresdner Bank’s senior executives still see opportunities to progress on the international stage. Philip Alexander reports.

There seems to be no end in sight to the commodities boom, as prices rise and demand from investors seeking diversification and returns grows. Silvia Pavoni reports on developments in some of the non-oil sub-sectors that are attracting attention.

In a liquidity-constrained market, what revenues opportunities are there for securities lenders? Silvia Pavoni finds that quality of collateral is key.

The vulnerability of time-critical trading operations has been highlighted by recent infrastructure failures in the London and Tokyo stock exchanges. Michelle Price examines how key players are battling to ensure their business runs smoothly in unusual circumstances.

Following market swings during the crisis, traditional covered bond issuers have called for the market to be split in two to recognise that these bonds have performed better. Michael Marray looks at the problem.

The fortunes of the covered bond market varied wildly from country to country during the subprime crisis, leaving investors facing tougher choices on where to put their money, says Michael Marray.

The dramatic market downturn has led to worries about counterparty credit risk. In the over-the-counter credit derivatives market, where bilateral deals are struck directly between trade counterparts, credit risk quality is paramount. Natasha de Terán reports on how the market is coping.