About a third of the near $5.7 trillion pile of U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds will mature between now and 2028, according to Fitch Ratings.
Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts could help ease the refinancing need. Fitch pegged the average coupon for outstanding investment-grade corporate bonds as climbing to 4.15% in July, up from 3.69% at the end of 2023.
Highly rated companies have been busy borrowing this year despite elevated borrowing costs, trying to avoid potential market volatility ahead of the U.S. election in November.
New issuance of investment-grade corporate bonds was about $463 billion this year through July, up about 12% from a year ago.
“A pivot in U.S. monetary policy by lowering short-term interest rates could help support economic growth and reduce economic uncertainty,” Fitch analysts said.