Rock-bottom rates fuel corporate bond bonanza but asymmetry remains

At Rs 8.27 trillion, borrowing at record high this year

Buoyed by the abundance of liquidity and rock-bottom rates, corporate bond issuance so far this year — at Rs 8.27 trillion — has been the highest on record. However, there is a huge asymmetry when it comes to top-rated firms tapping the market and low-rated ones trying to raise money. 

In the monetary policy on December 4, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor said there has been considerable easing in financing conditions, and that will prepare the ground for “strengthening the nascent signs of recovery that have become visible in the second half of 2020-21.” 

It is true that the central bank