Merrill Lynch's orchestration of the EDF purchase of British Energy was one of the most complex and drawn-out deals of its kind ever undertaken. Writer Edward Russell-Walling
Latest articles from Edward Russell-Walling
Food for thought
May 5, 2009When food group Premier was weighed down by debt after adding new brands to its portfolio, Goldman Sachs' last-minute, three-pronged restructuring plan saved the day.
Left to right: Andrew Wilkinson, Dominic Lee and Rob Pulford
Roche's perfect storm
April 7, 2009Drug company Roche made a rare foray into the markets recently, with BNP Paribas being among the bookrunners putting together its record-breaking euro bond deal to finance the purchase of US biotech firm Genentech. Writer Edward Russell-Walling
A long-term win against the odds KfW
April 7, 2009In the current financial climate, five-year papers are considered a no-go area for US bond investors. This makes the $4m, five-year issue pulled off by Germany's Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau last month all the more remarkable. Writer Edward Russell-Walling
Dutch bond goes down a storm
March 10, 2009The Dutch State Treasury Agency triumphed when it brought its 10-year bond to market with a coupon of 4%: the book closed within just four hours with most of the allocation going to real money accounts of international investors. Writer Edward Russell-Walling.
HSBC shows local knowhow
March 10, 2009HSBC tapped into its relationships as primary dealer with eurozone countries when it acted in Greece’s recent €5.5bn bond issue. Writer Edward Russell-Walling.
Lovells’ rescue remedy
February 2, 2009Lovells’ restructuring of Cheyne Capital’s $7bn structured investment vehicle set an example for other troubled SIVs. Writer Edward Russell-Walling.
Well prepared for hard times
February 2, 2009BNP Paribas’ €1.5bn, five-year covered bond has given the market a welcome fillip, but was only made possible thanks to the bank’s five-year strategy of diversifying its funding as broadly as possible.
A hare and tortoise story
December 1, 2008When RZB announced its rights issue in October it was not in response to market pressure, but the final step of a three-year programme to build capital in line with the assets and liabilities of the growing bank. Writer Edward Russell-Walling.
Strengthening the market’s backbone
November 3, 2008In October, the World Bank responded to market tensions by proving that highly creditworthy longer-tenor funding was possible with its five-year global bond. Writer Edward Russell-Walling.