Asian bond sales hit new high even before year is out

Singapore

WITH more than a quarter of 2014 remaining, Asian issuers have already sold more bonds in dollars, euros and yen this year than ever before, taking advantage of easy monetary policies to lock in financing at low fixed rates.

Excluding Japan and Australasia, Asian issuers have raised US$143.6 billion, with US$1 billion of new issues on Thursday taking the total past 2013's US$142.8 billion record, according to Thomson Reuters data.