Even at the height of the summer season, the international swap markets enjoyed a relatively busy week. In the dollar sector, the combination of low rates, tight corporate spreads and a vertiginous yield curve proved irresistible to corporate borrowers. A large portion of the debt seen was also swapped to floating rate. In the euro market, there has been considerable interbank trading in the hope that the European Central Bank (ECB) will soon cut rates. At the same time, the market learned this week that the Danish Central Bank has been active in the cross-currency swap market converting Danish krone to euros.
August 10, 2001