Asian bond buyers can dismiss oil plunge

Singapore

THE lack of oil has turned into a mark of a winner in the developing world's bond markets. And that's proven to be a boon for borrowers in Asia.

Dollar-denominated notes from the region, a net energy importer, had the biggest returns in emerging markets this year with a 7.49 per cent advance. The world's fastest-growing continent also held up better in December, when the selloff in crude oil upended issuers from commodity- producing companies in Russia and Brazil.

Rising Asian debt demand helped push dollar issuance to a record US$197 billion this year - more than Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined - as…