Global Bond Issuance Falls 16% From a Year Earlier; Investment-Grade Corporate Debt Jumps 60%

Global bond issuance fell 16% last week from a year earlier.

Goldman Sachs said on Aug. 17 that global bond issuance declined 16% from the same week a year earlier. Year-to-date issuance remained up 9% from a year earlier.

By segment, investment-grade corporate bond issuance rose 60%, while high-yield bond issuance fell 41%. Leveraged loan issuance plunged 88%. Financial-sector bond issuance increased 38%, while structured finance issuance dropped 64%.

Meanwhile, assets in exchange-traded funds tracking S&P and MSCI indexes increased 32% and 36%, respectively.