Demand for Asian dollar bonds likely to stay robust: JPMorgan

Shanghai

THE busy summer for Asia's dollar bond market looks set to be extended to the end of the year as investors' demand remains "robust", according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Dollar bond sales in Asia excluding Japan have reached US$23.9 billion since June 30, 48 per cent up from the US$16.2 billion in the same period of 2015, according to Bloomberg data. That's a record for the period. The extra yield over Treasuries that investors demand to hold US currency notes from the region's issuers slid 21 basis points this month to 204 on Aug 16, the lowest since 2007, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch index.