Corporate Debt

Mediobanca boss faces first test of mettle

16 Apr 2003

The investment bank s mooted interest in Fiat convertible debt highlights the conflicts Gabriele Galateri must navigate. To make such a deal stack up, he d have to negotiate fiercely with the very board members who gave him his new job.

Apple sniffs around Vivendi music

11 Apr 2003

Vivendi used to be the one with the wackiest ideas about convergence in the entertainment industry, not Steve Jobs. Apple has cash and Jobs may see some strange logic to marrying music with the iPod. But there s no need for Apple to own the music assets.

Big government may crowd out private sector

24 Dec 2002

Investors worried about corporate investment should watch rising deficits closely. Slack demand for corporate bonds may compound the imperative for firms to deleverage.

RSA hit by asbestos liability suit

1 Nov 2002

How big are the holes in Royal & Sun Alliance s balance sheet? A new asbestos liability suit is a reminder that nobody really knows. The more doubts there are about British insurer s balance sheet, the more doubtful its future becomes.

Are ABB’s bonds oversold?

1 Nov 2002

The longterm bonds are trading at 45% of face value after the struggling engineer lost its investmentgrade credit rating. Estimating the recovery value of the debt suggests the bonds aren t hugely attractive at these levels.

RSA hit by asbestos liability suit

1 Nov 2002

Are ABB’s bonds oversold?

1 Nov 2002

Too clever by half

11 Oct 2002

Beware the C word

30 Sep 2002

Now for the hard part

30 Sep 2002

Heard in Europe: Issuers branch out

24 Sep 2002

Not over a barrel

27 Aug 2002

Swimming with sharks

24 Jul 2002

Sticky Icky

4 Jul 2002

Well matched

20 Jun 2002

Fiat Lux

13 Jun 2002

No time for losers

22 Apr 2002

Consolidation conundrum

19 Apr 2002

Gnuts to Gnutti

8 Apr 2002

Gnutti rides again

2 Apr 2002