Negative rates hit global shipping market as zombies slow M&A

Copenhagen

THE owner of the world's biggest shipping line says negative interest rates are hurting the industry by delaying the consolidation wave so badly needed. The monetary policy environment "means that consolidation will be much slower because it's easy for banks to keep weak shipping companies above water", Nils Smedegaard Andersen, chief executive officer of AP Moeller-Maersk, said in an interview.

It's the latest example of how negative interest rates are distorting markets and potentially even slowing growth. The policy has so far had limited success in reviving inflation while money managers in countries with negative rates are warning of the risk of asset price bubbles. With the unintended consequences potentially including a slower global shipping recovery, questions as to the policy's efficacy are bound to persist.