They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but there are (admittedly few) circumstances in which investment bankers do not like to be flattered. One such circumstance is when corporates take some of their best ideas and use them to devise financing strategies of their own.
UK telecoms operator BT Group looks as if it might be doing just that. In announcing the second-quarter results last month, BT chairman Christopher Bland let slip that the firm was looking at opportunities both to increase debt capacity and lower the cost of its debt. And for a firm with steady, utility-like cashflows such...
