Defaulted Bonds: Demand, Supply and Performance, 1987–1992

Estimates of the market value of total private and public defaulted and distressed debt are as high as $200 billion in 1990, with a slight decline to about $175 billion in 1992. The supply can be expected to shrink in the nearfuture, as defaults and bankruptcies by large US. companies appear to have peaked. At the same time, the demand for such securities is likely to remain fairly constant as long as they can offer competitive returns.