People
Staging a comeback
A change in public perception, energy supply concerns and green issues are all driving a nuclear power revival in the US. Technological advances, financial incentives and licence standardisation look set to smooth the process of new build, finds Neil O…
When M&As fail
US M&A activity plummeted in 2006, leading to fears that much-needed – but capital-intensive – infrastructure plans could be put on hold. Merging with infrastructure funds instead of private equity may be an easier way for utilities to jump some…
Meeting the pace of change
Energy trading is advancing so quickly it's sometimes difficult for software to keep pace. Energy Risk's software survey reveals almost half of respondents changed systems in 2006. David Watkins reports
The IFRS conundrum
Firms with a public listing in the EU need to adhere to complex accounting standards on financial instruments. Michiel Mannaerts and Pieter Veuger look at the latest implications for energy companies
Gearing up for ever higher leverage
Rising leverage in the global system coupled with fears for the accuracy of credit risk pricing dominated discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. But not everyone is downbeat, as Matthew Attwood finds out
The Big Interview: LMA
Should high-yield issuers publicly disclose details of their loan agreements? Nikki Marmery talks to the LMA about this thorny issue
Q: What do the distressed debt market and the Japanese puffer-fish have in common? A: They're both irresistible - but highly toxic
Distressed debt investors gearing up for a bumper year should take note of the name of Babson's new credit fund, Fugu, after the deadly Japanese puffer-fish - a prized delicacy that can be lethal if not prepared correctly. Philip Moore reports on the new…
Investing Philly-style: Aberdeen AM's US fixed-income team
Cross-asset class teamwork coupled with conservative risk management drives Aberdeen Asset Management's investment strategy, leading to a current concentration on MBS and an underweight allocation to corporate bonds. This year they're on the lookout for…
Winner: Wienerberger
Amongst the month's most innovative and ground-breaking deals in the credit markets, we highlight Wienerberger's hybrid, Anderson Valley II CDO and HBOS's $3bn covered bond
Purva Sule
The head of the financial services practice at Pipal Research in Chicago explains why more investment banks are offshoring credit research
Subprime mortgages trigger ABX sell-off
Investors in the subprime mortgage sector might have been expecting some kind of market correction after a jump in delinquency rates at the back end of 2006. What they weren't expecting was a full-scale stampede out of the ABX index. Credit reports
March 2007
CHANGING HATS
A call to compliance
Mifid, Basel II, SOX - the pace of regulatory change has increased substantially over the past few years, which has led to the large-scale expansion of compliance departments for financial services firms. But the recruitment market is finding it hard to…
Basel Committee releases cross-border paper
REGULATORY UPDATE
FSA to assist trade bodies committed to PBR
REGULATORY UPDATE
Getting the balance right
Inflation
South Africa - The African frontier
Securitisation