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Goldman Sachs debuted in the Singapore domestic bond market last week, launching a S$130m two tranche transaction via Development Bank of Singapore (DBS). Bankers outside the deal said it was generously priced, which contributed to a positive reception from investors.

Hyundai Electronics Industries (HEI) and Hyundai Motor are possible candidates to issue international debt over the next few months, as the companies seek to refinance large maturing debt schedules and extend their existing debt profiles. But with the technology sector under renewed pressure neither orrower is likely to hurry to market.

As the bookbuild for the jumbo NTT6 offering began this week, the Japanese ministry of finance (MoF) announced that the fees for the offer would be just 1.25%, well below the 1.65% for NTT5. The ministry also announced the deal would price at a discount of 3%-5%. This is a larger discount than the 2% for last year's sale of 952,000 shares by the government in the NTT5 offering. The indicated range for that offer was at 2%-4%.

American Family Life Assurance Co (AFLAC) issued its inaugural Samurai bond this week, raising ¥30bn via Nikko Salomon Smith Barney in quiet markets. The coupon for the five year transaction, issued off the corporate's recently arranged shelf registration, was set at 1.55%, which equates to a spread of 25bp over Libor. A2/A rated AFLAC is the largest non-Japanese insurer in Japan.

The IPO and concurrent 10 year bond issue from Asia Global Crossing were completed last week, with the company raising $808m in hostile markets. The bond issue was priced wider than initial spread talk - with a 13.375% coupon and at a discount of 97.99 to yield 13.75% or 793bp over US Treasuries.

Bankers and investors are preparing for the China Mobile roadshow next week. Global market conditions for new issues are hardly conducive, but analysts believe there will be sufficient institutional support for the $4.1bn placement. China Mobile this week announced it would need to write off about 90% of the acquisition costs of seven cellular franchises. However, this will not affect earnings, as it will be set off against the share premium account, according to analysts in Hong Kong. The tangible net assets of the acquisition are just $3.55bn against the purchase price of $32.84bn. The deal will add 13.6m customers, increasing its subscriber base to 35.28m.

Australia Adelaide Airport has announced that it is planning a bond issue in the domestic Australian market this week.

Asia Asia Global Crossing late last week decided to increase the number of shares it sold in its Nasdaq IPO from 53m to 68m and priced the issue at $7 per share, well below the indicated range of $9-$11 per share.

Investors looking for fresh Quebecois debt will welcome the latest Canadian Euro-MTN signing. Financement-Quebec (Fin-Q), a guaranteed subsidiary of Province of Quebec (Quebec), has signed a $750 million Euro-MTN programme and is close to completing a US MTN programme of the same size. Fin-Q was set up last year as a separate legal entity from Quebec. The issuer lends to schools, hospitals and other social services. Fin-Q's programmes will be managed by the same team that oversees its guarantor's $10 billion Euro-MTN shelf. Bernard Turgeon, Fin-Q's chief executive officer, says the issuer will meet investors in North America and probably Europe in October. "It's not obvious, in these days of government downsizing, why we have created a separate entity," he says. The Canadian government has ruled that, as a public sector lender, Fin-Q should be separate. The issuer plans to raise C$1.2 billion ($810.6 million) by April 2001. So far it has raised C$225 million off domestic private placements and hopes that the two MTN programmes will help with the rest. Turgeon says: "We are going to use a maturity rarely used by the Province: the three- to five-year sector." Turgeon continues: "We also hope the Japan market will be receptive to our name. At the moment Japan is not attractive in terms of cost, but it should improve over the coming months." Merrill Lynch is the arranger off both facilities. The US MTN dealers are: Bank of America, Credit Suisse First Boston, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Salomon Smith Barney. All these houses except Bank of America and JP Morgan feature in the Euro-MTN group. They are joined by Banca d'Intermediazione Mobiliare, Bayerische Landesbank, Deutsche Bank, DG Bank, Nomura and SG. The arranger features in both dealer groups.

The European Investment Bank once again failed to impress the investment banking community with its EARN programme, choosing timing, pricing and a bidding process which market participants considered ill advised. The Eu3bn 10 year EARN was awarded as a result of a competitive bidding contest among the bank's primary dealers. A spokesman for one of them described the process as a return to the bad old days of the Marchat era. "We were sent an e-mail during the week saying that the EIB wanted Eu3bn 10 years at Euribor minus 10bp/12bp and we were asked to sign on the dotted line. We thought those days were long gone."

On Tuesday, the UK Competition Commission published the initial results of its 16 month review of the UK's supermarket industry. The report, which was expected last week, concluded that consumers are being treated fairly in a sector that is intensely competitive. "We are delighted that the Competition Commission report confirms that UK consumers need no help in making informed choices about where to shop," said Sir Peter Davis, group CEO of Sainsbury's. "The Commission indicates high levels of consumer satisfaction with what has been proved a fiercely competitive industry."

Rhodia, the French chemicals manufacturer, will sign a euro1.5 billion ($1.34 billion) Euro-MTN programme next week via Lehman Brothers. And a euro500 million five-year inaugural was announced on Wednesday, lead-managed by Bear Stearns and UBS Warburg. Elisabeth Teyssier, head of financial services at Rhodia, says the public issue is being used to get Rhodia's name known and to create liquidity, but that private issues will be considered. "We want to be ready to issue quickly in the markets when the right opportunities come along. As a new name it is important that Rhodia is known to as many investors as possible," she says. Rhodia is 27% owned by Aventis, the chemicals producer formed in 1998 by the merger of French Rhone Poulenc and German Hoechst. Dealers include Bear Stearns, BNP Paribas Group, CCF, Deutsche Bank, Fortis Bank, Natexis Banques Populaires, UBS Warburg and the arranger. Rhodia is rated BBB+ and Baa1 by Standard & Poor's and Moody's.