Euroblog

Fix Dinkum: We’re dusting off our plastic tree, searching for our tinsel in the attic and cracking out the novelty bauble earrings – it’s nearly Christmas time and that means the start of Christmas parties!

Bond Dame Oh dear, things are really looking grim. Steve Apted went to Spain last week on — brace yourselves — EasyJet.

FixDinkum It’s now official. The world is officially upside down and has gone completely bonkers. A bank deal pricing tighter than a sovereign, what has the world come to?

boss@syndicatedesk.com Just when I thought there was no more hope, ICMA has come up with the best solution yet to revive syndicate desk failing fortunes.

BondMole Hoorah! There are deals in the corporate and FIG markets! Move over SSAs, welcome to the new paradigm.

headlesschicken@syndicate.com what a week it’s been, so much information to absorb, yet so little time. What’s guaranteed, what’s not, who’s got the best one, whose triple-A is really a quadruple-A? I just don’t know anymore.

FixDinkum Interesting fact we thought we’d share with you readers. According to the reliable World Economic Forum, Luxembourg and Belgium are in the top 10 countries with the world’s soundest banks, the criteria being: on a rating of 1 to 7, do you think “banks in your country may be insolvent and require a government bail-out to generally healthy with sound balance sheet”, 1 being BAD and 7 GOOD.

BondDame The length that some bankers will go to for a mandate... Sunday saw Citi’s Philip Brown and Merrill’s Allesandro Garcia climbing Mount Fuji with Sandeep Dhawan of the EIB. In a typhoon.

Boy wonder The bond desk here at EuroWeek has been very cultured this week, heading off to see the Francis Bacon exhibition with Bank of America. The dark and twisted images of people screaming in pain and terror seemed an apt reflection of the financial market this week.

Bond Dame: Why is Charlie Berman selling off his surplus stocks of wine? Does he need a few extra bob to buy another chalet in Verbier?

Bond Bitch What is there left to live for, one might well ask? Fuzzy’s Grub, the chain that specialises in greasy roast dinners and that has saved many a Goldman Sachs banker from starvation, is close to going into administration and is reviewing its options with its lenders Bank of Scotland.

Bond Dame We’re looking forward to hearing about the fallout from the infamous Nordic Investment Bank party in Helsinki that was going on last night.