Five Charts Show Record Year in Europe’s Primary Bond Market
- Marketwide new-bond sales jumped 22% to 1.38 trillion euros
- U.S. companies doubled euro bond sales on low borrowing costs
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Europe’s primary bond market posted a record-breaking 1.38 trillion euros ($1.54 trillion) of deals this year, as Brexit risks, economic concerns and trade tensions spurred issuers to lock in super-low borrowing costs.
Marketwide issuance jumped 22% helped by a flood of U.S. company deals including jumbo offerings from Danaher Corp., Fidelity National Information Services Inc., or FIS, and Medtronic Plc. The sterling market similarly saw a bumper year, as overseas borrowers, such as KfW and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., offset lackluster domestic issuance.