Market Views: Will Asia’s bond appeal revive in 2019?

Illiquid, crowded out by bank lending and bereft of reliable credit ratings, the Asian bond market was seen as a relatively underdeveloped asset class going into 2018. Unfortunately, the past 12 months didn't do much to reverse these concerns. Rather than witness its continued evolution, market participants were left disappointed by further US interest rate rises and the growing China-US trade conflict, which combined to drag on bond performance and issuance. Heading into 2019, …