To Revive the Economy, Governments Get Creative With Debt Sales

Germany is marketing its first bond with a 15-year maturity
U.S. is bringing back 20-year debt last issued in the 1980s

A pedestrian shelters under an umbrella while crossing Unter den Linden boulevard near the Brandenburg Gate monument in Berlin on May 4.Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

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By James Hirai

May 5, 2020 at 4:16 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Governments are getting creative as they look to finance an economic recovery with the most new debt since World War II.

Germany is gearing up to issue it first-ever 15-year bond, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak about it. Meanwhile, the U.S. plans to resurrect sales of 20-year debt for the first time since the mid-1980s, with an announcement of auctions expected Wednesday.