This special feature studies the risks posed by the rapid rise in property developer debt in several Asian economies in recent years. Gradually, the firms involved are shifting away from traditional bank loans and choosing to issue debt securities, often in foreign currency. So far indebtedness...

A new dimension to currency mismatches has been created by policies that have increased global liquidity. Lower policy rates and a huge expansion in central bank balance sheets - purchases of domestic bonds in the advanced economies and of foreign assets in the emerging market economies (EMEs) -...

Corporates in many EMEs have taken advantage of unusually easy global financial conditions to ramp up their overseas borrowing and leverage. This could expose them to increased interest rate and currency risks unless these positions are adequately hedged. The key question is whether EME...

Non-financial corporations from emerging market economies (EMEs) have increased their external borrowing significantly through the offshore issuance of debt securities. Having obtained funds abroad, the foreign affiliate of a non-financial corporation could transfer funds to its home country via...

Liquidity in the eight government bond markets in which the ABF2 invests has improved significantly since the fund's inception in 2005. These improvements may be traced to the consolidation of issuance in a few benchmark maturities, an increase in market making activity, and the lowering of...

This article examines developments in the syndicated loan markets during the financial crisis. The investigation of deal structures and purposes suggests that supply constraints aggravated the sharp decline of syndicated lending. An econometric analysis confirms that balance sheet constraints of...