World’s Pile of Negative Debt Surges by the Most Since 2016
- Biggest weekly jump in subzero bond total since at least 2016
- Stockpile set to rise again as virus fears trigger risk-off
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The global rush for safer assets has fueled a huge jump in the world’s stockpile of negative-yielding bonds, snapping months of decline in the value of subzero debt.
The pool of securities with a yield below zero surged by $1.16 trillion last week, the largest weekly increase since at least 2016 when Bloomberg began tracking the data daily. Another injection looked certain on Monday, as investors worldwide ditched riskier assets and piled into bonds amid mounting fears over a deadly virus spreading from China.