Some Asian bonds better than Western counterparts

Singapore

SOME Asian bonds proved to be a better investment than similar bonds from the US and Europe in the first quarter given their higher spread, an Asifma (The Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) report said on Tuesday.

At the end of the first quarter, Asian high-grade bonds on a composite basis were quoted at an average spread of about 185 basis points (bps), while similar US and European bonds issued were quoted at average spreads of 119 bps and 113 bps respectively.