International Organization of Securities Commissions: Central banks have stoked investor demand for corporate debt by keeping base interest rates at record lows, the Madrid-based International Organization of Securities Commissions said in a report published today. Bonds issued by non-financial companies are seen as reasonably safe investments that still offer some yield. The size of the corporate bond market in total hit $49 trillion in 2013, according to Bloomberg. Growth in loan provision by banks to non-financial firms in the U.S. and Europe declined markedly after the onset of the crisis, said. This contrasted with strong growth of corporate bond markets outstanding for non-financial firms and Companies issued $3.2 trillion in bonds in 2013, more than triple the $900 billion in 2000, as they sought to fill funding gaps left by decreasing bank lending. Central banks have kept interest rates at low levels to stimulate economic growth in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. The Bank of England last week kept its key interest rate at 0.5 percent, where its been since March 2009.
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