In the decade since the global financial crisis, the value of nonfinancial companies' outstanding bonds has nearly tripled, owing not least to growth in corporate debt in emerging markets. But while a correction seems likely as defaults rise, the broad shift toward bond financing is actually a welcome development.
WASHINGTON, DC – Is growing corporate debt a bubble waiting to burst? In the ten years since the global financial crisis, the debt held by nonfinancial corporations has grown by $29 trillion – almost as much as government debt – according to new research by the McKinsey Global Institute. A market correction is likely in store. Yet the growth of corporate debt is not as ominous as it first appears – and, indeed, in some ways even points to a positive economic outcome.
WASHINGTON, DC – Is growing corporate debt a bubble waiting to burst? In the ten years since the global financial crisis, the debt held by nonfinancial corporations has grown by $29 trillion – almost as much as government debt – according to new research by the McKinsey Global Institute. A market correction is likely in store. Yet the growth of corporate debt is not as ominous as it first appears – and, indeed, in some ways even points to a positive economic outcome.