Government debt alone is set to top $70 trillion this year, as will overall debt (government, corporate and financial sector) of emerging-market countries. “With few signs of slowdown in the pace of debt accumulation, we estimate that global debt will surpass $255 trillion this year,” the IIF said in a report. ReutersMoreover, with state-owned companies now accounting for over half of non-financial corporate debt in emerging markets, sovereign-related borrowing has been the single most important driver of global debt over the past decade. Separate analysis from Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Friday calculated that since the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, governments have borrowed $30 trillion, companies have taken on $25 trillion, households $9 trillion and banks $2 trillion. Global bond markets have increased from $87 trillion in 2009 to over $115 trillion.

Source: bd News24 November 15, 2019 12:45 UTC