29 October 2012 6:38am

With 10 months of the calendar year (almost) gone, it is evident that the decline in corporate bond issuance volumes seen in the second half of 2011 is being repeated this year.

July was the last big month, with A$11.9 billion of bonds being placed. In August, issuance fell to $5.6 billion, followed by $3.5 billion worth of bonds issued in September.

The total for October currently rests at $3.8 billion.

$1.2 billion worth of bonds was issued in both November and December last year, and the total for the year amounted to $72.0 billion. The year-to-date issuance volume...