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THE UK MARKET is set to host a huge number of straight equity and convertible deals in the next few weeks. The London market has reaped enormous benefits from the strength of global stockmarkets and held up remarkably well in recent turmoil as the devaluation and ultimate flotation of the Brazilian currency pushed Brazil into economic crisis.

FEW DEALS were completed in the US market this week but a host of new names were added to the pipeline of new issues. Several companies revived IPO plans, having delayed their flotations because of last autumn's market upheaval. Credit Suisse First Boston completed the secondary offering of stock for Keebler Foods on Wednesday, raising some $541m for selling shareholders Artal Luxembourg and Claremont Enterprises. Artal reduced its remaining stake in the company through the sale.

THE SWISS market is set to host a number of heavyweight equity issues in the next two months. In line with other continental bourses, Zurich is rapidly appreciating on the back of renewed investor confidence in the region and the huge volumes of liquidity that are still driving most US and European markets. Zurich is also benefiting from the second phase of corporate restructuring that started two years ago, embracing consolidation among most consumer and manufacturing industries. The next leg involves the spin-off of non-core assets by newly merged groups -- either to strategic partners or to institutional investors.

GOLDMAN Sachs is to launch the sale of stock in United Pan Communications (UPC), Europe's biggest provider of private cable television services. The flotation will raise around $650m, ranking as one of the largest of this year's deals to be hosted by the Amsterdam stock exchange. The market is expecting a wide range of small to mid-cap deals from a variety of sectors, with UK investors particularly keen on rebalancing portfolios in favour of some of the sectors on offer.

GLOBAL co-ordinators ABN Amro Rothschild and Nomura have launched the sale of stock for Estonia Telecom. The deal is the first of the year's large flotations from central Europe and is an important test of investor appetite for this kind of stock from the region. Last year redemptions in emerging market funds reached a peak as investors ran for cover during the turmoil of the third quarter. But bankers in the local markets, London and New York say that buyers are starting to return and that the main beneficiaries of the recovery in investor confidence will be new issues.

GOLDMAN SACHS and JP Morgan have been mandated to act as global co-ordinators for the sale of stock in Debitel, the largest mobile telecoms provider in Germany. The group is 46% owned by German retail giant Metro, 52% by DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Debis and 2% by Electronic Partners. Metro and Debis should raise between $500m and $1bn.

Hong Kong Co-ordinating arrangers ABN Amro Bank (Hong Kong) and Development Bank of Singapore (Hong Kong) are in the market with a HK$1bn five year fundraising for Sino Land through special purpose company Cheer City Properties.

ARGENTINA is taking steps towards developing a monetary treaty between the US and Latin America that would rid the latter of its currency volatility and become the Americas' equivalent of European monetary union. "What we are proposing is an alternative somewhere between dollarization and an Americas-wide monetary union," said central bank president, Pedro Pou, yesterday (Thursday).

CSFB, DRESDNER Kleinwort Benson and BancBoston will brave abysmal market conditions next week and attempt to sell $240m-$260m of stock in Argentina's indebted mortgage bank Banco Hipotecario. Faced with the Brazilian currency crisis and a further dollarisation of Argentina, the underwriters this week finished roadshows in the US and Europe and are looking to price the deal on Tuesday or Wednesday.

BELGIUM will launch its new 10 year OLO next week via an underwriting syndicate, reflecting the need for medium and smaller sized EU sovereigns to adapt their funding strategies to the challenges of euroland. Belgium follows Austria and Portugal in opening new lines via underwritten issues. The strategy is aimed at ensuring not only firm placement, competitive pricing and high liquidity, but also a higher profile when competing against France, Germany and Italy.