Surge in risky loans leaves global economy vulnerable to rate hikes, IMF warns
“Low interest rates and surging economic growth have stoked a boom in risky lending which could turn sour as interest rates rise, potentially derailing global growth” writes Tim Wallace for telegraph.co.uk. Even low-quality borrowers are able to issue bonds at very low interest rates, the International Monetary Fund said, leading to a spike in poorly-rated bond issuance.Loans to heavily indebted or even junk-grade borrowers have also shot up – $788bn (£554bn) of so-called leveraged loans were issued last year, smashing through the pre-crisis record of $762bn in 2007. The amount…
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