First the bad news: the securities valuation office of the US National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has ruled that the very first Lehman Brothers ECAP is equity. Insurers would be required to hold greater amounts of capital against ECAP structures that are regarded as equity rather than preferred securities.

Mexico has long considered itself a groundbreaker in international debt capital markets. But its latest attempt to make history fell rather flat: it was downsized by $2 billion in the face of weak demand for the new debt part of the deal.

Some bond investors have complained for years about the lack of covenant protection in the event of M&A activity. And during the past 18 months or so the increasing number of leveraged buyouts has heightened the fears of portfolio managers. Although some bond investors are once again trying hard to push for change of control (COC) covenants, many deals have priced recently without including this feature. In certain respects it is a simple matter of supply and demand. When demand for a bond is overwhelming it is relatively easy for issuers to refuse extra covenant protection. However, with the credit cycle widely forecast to turn it is clear that the buy side is becoming more circumspect.

Spanish bank forms a joint venture with alternatives specialist Vega to cater for institutional investors.

Banks’ credit research departments are readying themselves for a turn in the credit cycle towards a higher level of defaults and volatility. Florian Neuhof reports on the state of play.

Bank telecom advisory fees are on the up, but that won’t last for long.

The first wave of easy returns on commodities has passed, while allocations continue to grow. Traditional players are having adapt to a much more liquid market, swimming with a new breed of investors and their active hedging strategies. Peter Koh examines the changes.

US growth companies faced with the increased cost of listing at home are among foreign issuers seeking a home on London’s junior market.

Unbundling of commission regulation will increase independent data provision.

Plans by International Index Company (IIC) and Eurex to launch a CDS future have yet to resolve the question of how cash settlement will be achieved on reference entities that have defaulted. But once this problem has been solved, the initiative should open up the CDS market to investors that have so far been blocked from trading the OTC market.

Worth only the paper it’s printed on

It’s a good job that many US investment banks have had such a strong first quarter. They need the cash to keep the regulators at bay.

“I see you have the same problem as in my country: prostitutes everywhere!”

Chief executive of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange thinks pressure is building for exchange-traded model.

The $67 billion AT&T/BellSouth merger catapults Evercore and Rohatyn up the league tables.

Although the oil-rich emirate does not need other people’s money to finance big-ticket projects, it has shown an increasing appetite for project finance, reports Mark Ford in Abu Dhabi.

Venezuela’s president is planning to buy assets in Uruguay, according to the local media. Hugo Chávez is considering investing in Pluna, a small Uruguayan airline, through a state-owned Venezuelan airline. Conviasa is mulling over buying Brazilian airline Varig’s 49% stake in the Uruguayan outfit.

Further reformis essential if the region’s stock exchanges are to come under the steadying influence of institutional investors.

Argentina's default $800 million more than commonly assumed.

Deutsche Bank has hired from a private equity firm to expand its presence in the rapidly growing real estate, gaming and lodging sector in Asia. The bank has hired Matthew Mrozinski from Colony Capital, the private equity firm that specializes in real estate investments. There, Mrozinski was vice-president of acquisition and head of Asia-Pacific capital formation. In this newly created role at Deutsche, Mrozinski will report to the bank’s head of M&A for Asia, Douglas Morton, but will also be responsible for the financings of real estate deals.

Euromoney meets the chief executive of a specialist financial services firm recently bought out by management. Such deals are rare in a sector where most participants are inherently leveraged through their day-to-day operations. Is the firm’s capital structure not now rather strained? Not at all, says the CEO. It could ask its backers or other third parties for more money tomorrow and get as much as it wanted. Raising money isn’t the problem. Almost anyone can get funding right now. Identifying the right investments to build the business – that’s the tough part.

In a sign that Kazakhstan is set to become increasingly visible on investors’ radar screens, a new investment bank has been set up there to offer a full range of corporate finance and brokerage services.

Research shows an increase in abnormal stock trading in the UK despite recent FSA clampdown. Some of the irregular share price movements may be indicators of insider trading.

“Oh, these are among the most toxic instruments we’ve created. And they’re absolutely a bull market instrument. In a bear market, it’s not a question of maybe losing just a percentage point. You can lose 10 points in a heartbeat.”

The regional real estate investment trust craze has finally sired a pan-Asian Reit, driven from Australia, and to be listed in Singapore. Despite its billing however, Allco Commercial Reit currently boasts just three assets: an office tower and shopping mall in Singapore, a stake in an office in Perth and a minority stake in an existing Australian property fund managed by the same group. That hardly qualifies for the title pan-Asian Reit but the proposed $300 million plus proceeds will certainly provide the capital to acquire more properties. The key to the success of the deal will therefore be whether investors believe the deal’s sponsor, Allco Finance Group, has the ability to find and close sufficient deals to warrant the fund’s pan-Asian billing.

Tough regulations hold back trade volumes.

Joaquim Levy, Brazil’s treasury secretary, tells Lawrence White how the sovereign is restructuring its debt management profile.

Every market participant has had something to gain from corporate hybrid securities. Bond fund managers have delighted in high yields; issuers have enjoyed cheap equity. Ratings agencies have been paid for their trouble, investment banks have pocketed juicy fees and traders have revelled in the volatility. But what seems a perfect fit might well fall apart at the seams in an unfolding credit downturn. This will either expose the defects in the market and destroy it or validate hybrids as an asset class.

Online trading platform MarketAxess plans to launch a client to multi-dealer emerging markets CDS index trading system in the second quarter. The system will be the first of its kind and Latin America-related business is likely to be prominent.

The EU’s emissions trading scheme and Kyoto’s clean development mechanism are succeeding in promoting renewable energy. But electricity utilities are turning out to be surprise beneficiaries. Peter Koh reports.