Total EU and UK bond issuance hit a record high of about $319bn in January

Total bond issuance in the European Union and the U.K. in January through Tuesday reached at least the equivalent of 293.7 billion euros ($319 billion), surpassing last year's record January total of 292.7 billion euros.January has always been one of the busiest months for bond issuance, and it has been particularly busy this year, with investors looking to put their accumulated cash to use, locking in attractive yields before central banks begin to cut interest rates, and borrowers looking to take advantage of this. Borrowers have also been happy to take advantage of this investor mindset to enter the debt issuance market.