Euromoney June 1998
The Annual Euromoney/Fitch IBCA ranking of the World's leading banks by shareholders' equity shows the big Japanese banks continuing to fade. The most dramatic change is the rise of ING to third place. HSBC remains the biggest bank by own funds but, as our table based on market capitalisation shows, the market values Lloyds TSB and Nationsbank more highly.
Euromoney June 1998
In a Euromoney virtual round table, James Rutter asks 10 borrowers - big and small - to predict the shape of the new market in euros, how they will handle their borrowing, who will they choose to handle their deals.
Euromoney June 1998
They had to have the money, but no one bargains like the Koreans. So when the heavily downgraded republic was forced into the bond markets in mid-meltdown, Salomon and Goldman knew lead-managing the deal would be tough ... but not this tough. Steven Irvine reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Doing business with pop stars and TV writers sounds glamorous, but when Hollywood meets Wall Street there's rarely a meeting of minds. Artists may like the jingle of cash up front, but to securitize their future cashflows they need to have a reason investors can identify with - like tax-avoidance. Antony Currie reports.
Euromoney June 1998
The Asian Development Bank still has the best balance-sheet of the major multilaterals - on paper. But turmoil in the region and slowness by its major shareholders to pump in fresh capital could change the picture. Steven Irvine reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Central America has come a long way in a short time.
It has developed a surprising degree of political stability, a
consensus in favour of economic liberalization and a real thirst
for economic progress. Jennifer Tierney reports on a region that is
growing in confidence and that may soon become a coherent and
outward-looking trade block
Euromoney June 1998
Selling state assets to foreign investors raises popular opposition throughout the region, but privatization is likely to remain the main source of Nordic equity offerings
Euromoney June 1998
The star performers of Nordic stock markets are not forestry, engineering or shipping companies, they are Internet, biotechnology and service-sector start-ups. But will they stay with the local markets when their capital needs grow?
Euromoney June 1998
The military dictatorships are gone and the civil wars are over. Now, as Central America's governments overcome their suspicion of foreign borrowing, the region is opening up to foreign investment. James Rutter reports.
Euromoney June 1998
The Philippine Stock Exchange has resisted previous attempts at reform. But this time it's different. A missionary's son is in charge of the clean-up. Tired of brokers' shenanigans, he has threatened to revoke the exchange's licence. So far, he has the upper hand. But for how long? Steven Irvine reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Chinese shares listed in Hong Kong have a habit of surprising investors. The latest issue is whether funds invested in high-interest deposits with Chinese banks are completely safe. The so-called H-shares are more used to reporting to the central planners than to shareholders - their workings can be mysterious. Pauline Loong reports.
Euromoney June 1998
When the Asian crisis took hold the notion was that Malaysia was somehow different and could escape the worst effects. There's little room for such optimism now. How hard Malaysia lands may depend on Japanese recovery and the extent to which the government is willing to relax its fiercely nationalist economic policies. Nicholas Bradbury reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Cedel and Euroclear reckon half the volume they clear annually is repo business - $25 trillion. That includes government and corporate bonds. Add in the growing repo business in equities and there's a huge market - in collateralization, short-trading and securities lending. Katharine Morton reports.
Euromoney June 1998
European investors are discovering what their US counterparts have known for years. Technology companies can provide spectacular returns. Venture capitalists and small-cap stock markets are working hard to accommodate the sector. Meanwhile, US investment banks, which honed their hi-tech skills financing the development of Silicon Valley, are making a big push across the Atlantic. Brian Bollen reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Greeks have a high tolerance of political risk, which should give them an edge when competing for business with their volatile neighbours. Hoping to enter monetary union in the second wave, Greece is set become a powerhouse in "its natural backyard". Rebecca Bream reports.
Euromoney June 1998
Once upon a time Spain's thoroughbred banks looked down on the cajas de ahorros. But these local savings institutions are no longer the slow beasts of burden they once were. They sell many of the same products as commercial banks; they're opening branches outside their traditional stamping grounds; some are even buying banks. But as Jules Stewart reports, they are protected from takeover themselves.