Asia-Pac syndicated loans fall 12.8% in Q1

[SINGAPORE] The value of syndicated loans in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) fell 12.8 per cent over the year to US$75.9 billion in the first quarter of this year, yanked down by weakness in borrrowings linked to China, data from Thomson Reuters showed yesterday.

Deal flow as a whole has also eased, with 214 deals posted in the first quarter of this year, compared with 261 deals registered in the same time a year ago.

"China borrowing, which led loan volume growth in Asia-Pacific last year, has had a lacklustre first quarter with some impact from the Chinese New Year holiday," Thomson Reuters noted in a press release.